Chasing Pavements
by Blueberry and Blacktooth
Summary: Okay, I wasn't sure if I was dreaming because surely it wasn't possible to be transported to another place in like two point five seconds, let alone another world entirely, but I guess if the cause was my best friend Lucianna, it should have been expected. But now I'm here (not that I'm complaining or anything) and really, I'm not too sure what to do anymore... Edward/OC
1. Chapter 1

"Isn't Bella so lucky?" Lucianna asked randomly. I paused, pen stopping in the middle of my sentence.

"Bella, who?" I asked, looking at her idly flipping the pages of her Twilight copy. Bella Swan? Lucky? Ha! That was the understatement of the year! More like; Blessed with good fortune from the gods themselves.

"You know, Bella Swan, that annoying bitch from the book. I mean, she gets some really hot vampire for a boyfriend, a smoking werewolf as a best friend who actually wants to jump her bones, and a perfect ending-which might I tell you, she doesn't deserve!" I rolled my eyes at my best friend and instead carried on writing my creative writing project. I didn't have time to indulge in a pointless debate about how we didn't like Bella and how she didn't deserve it because I knew that was what Lucy wanted.

"Ugh, Noё! I'm serious! Why can't someone like us end up with Edward instead?!" She was demanding my attention now, crawling across the bed to get all up in my face like bad breath. I couldn't even lean back because I was already leaning on my headboard. So instead, I huffed and roughly closed my notebook, aware that with her in this kind of mood, I wouldn't be getting any work done.

"Maybe because Edward Cullen doesn't exist?" Was my frustrated reply. "What's up with you anyway? Just five minutes ago you were perfectly content with swooning over the sparkling vampire, now you're getting all bothered about something which I thought you had already come to accept." I asked, raising an eyebrow and brushing my hair off my shoulder with my right hand. Lucy shook her head frantically, red hair flying everywhere and whipping me in the face. I frowned and passively removed a few strands from my mouth.

"No! I've never been okay with it! I just used to bottle it up because I loved the plot so much! Like, you know how much I hate Bella, because you hate her as much as I do, but Arsinoё, do you really think it's fair? When you really think about it?" My frown became deeper.

"Life's not fair Lucy, but there's not much we can do about it. Its fiction and Stephenie Mayer has already finished the series so really, why get hyped up about it?" I asked, pushing her away to get some breathing space. Lucianna gave me a dark look that said that she didn't appreciate my blatant dismissal of what must have been an important topic for her.

"Okay, fine. If you were in Bella's place, what would you do?" She asked suddenly, surprising me.

"Huh?" I asked, taken aback. What did that have to do with anything?

"You heard me. If you suddenly woke up in Forks one day, and Bella wasn't there, would you a, stick with the plot, or b, change it completely?" Well that answer was kinda obvious. I would change the plot of course; I didn't have the patience or the right amount of sanity to deal with all the shit Bella had to go through. I would probably just avoid all those events all together, well maybe except for a few, like the whole van thing, because then Edward wouldn't save me and stuff. And I guess I would also have to do the Port Angeles…Okay, I'm moving away from the main point. I would try and avoid the unnecessary things and just suffer through the really important ones.

"You already know the answer dude. Don't ask me stupid questions." I told her, getting off the bed to retrieve my tablet from my desk. Hey, if I was on some type of mandatory break, I would at least enjoy it.

"Exactly, I do. But like _seriously _think about it now. If you had the chance, would you try and change the plot of Twilight? Have Edward Cullen fall I love with you instead?" She asked me, crossing her legs and looking _wayyy_ to eager to know the answer to the question. I shrugged, unplugging the gadget and sliding the screen to unlock it.

Looking at the time at the top, I was slightly surprised at how late it was. How much time had passed while I was doing my homework?

"Sure. If I had the chance, in a heartbeat. Who wouldn't want a hot vampire for a boyfriend?" I answered, trying to log in to Facebook. A few minutes passed and I had yet to hear a reply, so after sending my message, I looked up to see what was wrong…only to see my room was gone.

* * *

Let me rephrase that.

My bedroom was gone, in its place a completely different one.

It was a beautiful room in its own right, though it looked like it belonged more in a five star hotel than a first year college student's apartment.

"Oh, Arsinoё! Good, it seems that you've finished unpacking. Just in the nick of time for Nina has just finished preparing dinner." A very familiar voice said, making my face snap towards the doorway.

Oh, so that explained it.

I had somehow gotten to Aunty Zaho's place. How, I do not know, but it certainly explained the expensive setting of the bedroom. She was rolling in it after all; with her numerous clothing lines and shit.

But what in the world did she mean by "Finished unpacking?" What in the world was going on?! Not even one minute ago, I was in my own bedroom talking to Lucy about Twilight and checking my Facebook (come to mention it, my IPad and charger were still in my hands) and now I'm somehow with Aunt Zaho, who last time I checked, was supposed to be in South Africa visiting some friends in the Kruger.

But instead, I just went with the flow, because I had a feeling if I voiced any of my concerns, she would think I was crazy.

"Er, yeah. I was just coming down to tell you. Umm…Aunty, how long has it been since I arrived here in…"I trailed off, hoping she would pick it up.

"Oh, we've only just arrived in Forks maybe three hours ago. I suppose you would want to know though, the jet lag and all." She answered, crossing her arms and inspecting her perfectly painted ruby red nails.

"Pardon?" I asked, trying to make sure I hadn't misheard what she had just declared. I thought for a second there that maybe she had said Forks, which was impossible because there was not a place on the planet named "Forks". I would know, with my over two hundred IQ.

"Honestly Arsinoё, you know how much I hate to repeat myself. Pay attention. I said that we've been in Forks for about maybe three hours. Now, come, dinner is getting cold." She stated, before elegantly turning on her heel and walking out the room, fully expecting me to follow after her.

I did so, only stopping to drop the tablet on the bed before rushing after her. If Aunty Zaho told you to do something, you did it, no questions asked. That is, unless you wanted to die young of course, then you were welcome to question her authority, but from the looks of things, it would seem that I was under her care for as longs as I was here for and I didn't want to take any chances.

"Arsinoё, so good to see you! It has been so long! My, how you've grown!" Nina, my aunt's helper exclaimed as I entered the dining room, which was every bit as extravagant as I knew it would be, crystal chandelier and all.

"Nina, give the child some air, she has just arrived." My aunt stated bluntly, taking a seat at the head of the table, and not knowing where else to sit, I sat across from her, on the other side. I heard Nina say something but I wasn't really paying attention anymore.

I was kind of lost in my thoughts.

I didn't understand how I was suddenly with Aunt Zaho because I knew that I was supposed to be in my apartment in Dublin, waiting for Lucy's reply. Maybe I was having some type of elaborate daydream whilst standing upright?

Hah, ya right.

But it wasn't possibly to be transported somewhere in like one second. Sadly, that technology had not been invented yet so what in the world was happening? Another thing was, it would seem that I had been sent to live here with my aunt, but I didn't even remember getting on a plane!

"So, I'm sorry to tell you this but you'll be starting school tomorrow at Forks high, as opposed to next week like planned. I didn't see a reason for you not to start as soon as possible. I didn't want your academics to take a hit." She told me, breaking me out of my haze. Did she just say Forks High? As in, Forks High school? Well, there were two things wrong with that phrase. Why? Because Forks High school was a fictional place and secondly; I had graduated from high school last year. Even if I was still sixteen.

"Yes, I know that's almost impossible but we don't want to risk it. You're already being scouted by a few universities and at your age, that's almost unheard of. I don't want you to take unnecessary chances." She elaborated, daintily piercing a carrot with her fork.

Lol, Forks…_Fork. _The town of Forks, was named after an eating utensil. LAWL.

I halfhearted did the same, along with a piece of chicken breast and chewed slowly, contemplative.

"Aunty, why am I here?" I asked finally. Fuck it if she thought I was crazy or something of the sort, I just wanted to know why one second I was at home and the next I'm most probably halfway across the world with my aunt.

For some reason, my aunt's expression changed completely, her vivid green eyes full of sympathy. For what, I was about to find out.

"I know it must be hard leaving all your friends behind, but really it's the best choice. Your parents and I made the decision that moving you out of the city would be better to help with your focus so that you could have a better chance at life. It must seem hard now, but the only alternative was boarding school and well, I'm sure you would hate us forever if we shipped you off to an unknown place." She told me, wiping a strand of dark purple hair away with her fragile wrist.

Her hair was a genetic defect that all the women in my family have somehow inherited. Me included.

Anyway, I had come to the conclusion that it was _that_ point in my life. The turning point.

Except this time, instead of boarding school, it was being sent to live with my aunt. Heh, all the better for me, I hated boarding school anyway. _Thank god_ I didn't stay for more than four months.

"Oh…I see. Well, it's no big deal I guess. I'll get used to it I'm sure." I replied, sipping my juice and playing my role perfectly.

"Alright then, all your documents have been taken care of, so all you need to do is go with your school bag and stationary." Aunty Zaho replied, seeming relieved.

Maybe she assumed I would throw a fit?

"Aunt Zaho, I'm really tired. May I be excused please?" I asked, after a few minutes of silent eating.

"Of course, Ma Puce!" Did she just call me a flea? "Go and rest, you have a big day tomorrow. Goodnight my dear!" She said and I smiled back in response, before hastily making my way up the stairs and into my room.

Truthfully, that night I didn't get any sleep, for I was too busy thinking about my predicament and chilling on my tablet out of boredom. I also found out, much to my horror, that instead of the year 2014, it was actually 2005. Like, what the fuck? On top of everything, I had been sent back in time too?

It meant that I couldn't use my IPad in public, nor my phone (a Galaxy S2), which had been in my pocket in public. Which kinda sucked actually.

But the thought which kept me up the most, was thinking that there really was a possibility that I had somehow ended up in the fictional world of Twilight in like the one second it took for Lucy to reply to my statement.

I didn't believe it. Nor would I believe it until I saw solid proof.

Because really, it wasn't possible to travel into books, right?

* * *

_**Hello there people! Yes it has been a while, and yes I know I am supposed to be writing 'Chikara' but I've been facing a bout of writers block on that front and this plot bunny has been bouncing around my head for a while now, mostly because I've now acquired an obsession with Edward/Oc fics and its really hard to find any good ones so I decided to write my own. I know this is short compared to what I usually right but its just the first chapter and therefore, not that important. They will get longer and more in depth in the future, but I felt that it would be best to gently ease into things.**_

_**Also, if any of you know a few Edward/Oc fics, please don't hesitate to tell me!**_

_**As always, constructive criticism is much welcomed along with just plain weird and funny reviews!**_

_**Much love, **_

_**Blue ^.^**_


	2. Chapter 2

I absolutely hated mornings. Hated them with a passion. They were like the bane of my existence.

Okay, so that was a lie. It wasn't that I _hated_ mornings per se…On the contrary! I loved them, being awake early and feeling the cool breeze and freshness was one of my favorite things ever. What I hated was _waking up_ in the morning. It was kinda the same thing with sleep. I loved sleep, loved it, loved it loved it. But I hated _going to_ sleep. Do you see the logic there? Eh, maybe not but whatev'.

Anyway, back to the present.

My alarm clock rang bright and early that morning (by alarm, I mean phone dude. No one actually owns any of those things anymore. Well, at least in my time…) much to my annoyance, but I was forced to get up anyway. Ditching school wasn't really an option now was it?

Roughly swiping a bunch of red strands from my face, I sat up and moseyed my way on over to the bathroom to begin my morning ritual. Another thing I hated. Washing. Like, I loved being clean and stuff but I just didn't like the process of scrubbing and shit.

In reality, I hated quite a bit of things.

Lol, Sasuke anyone?

I showered lazily, one percent of it getting clean and the other ninety-nine just standing under the showerhead wondering if maybe today would be the day that I would finally cut my nails. But of course, like every other day I contemplated it, I shrugged, saying it wasn't urgent.

As I brushed my teeth, I scrutinized my reflection in the mirror irritably. My normally golden skin (a result of being born in Northern Africa) was looking a tad too shiny for my liking and my caramel eyes were surrounded by bags from lack of sleep. This wouldn't be the best way for me to make a great first impression for the guy I was kinda hoping to spend the rest of eternity with. So after applying my normal mango scented body cream, I put in a little bit of effort in the make-up department, which was normally non-existent. Some black kohl liner, and mascara made me look a hundred times better, much to my surprise, and I wondered if maybe I should use some more often?

But then again, Edward preferred natural girls….

I chastised myself. Why in the world was I getting worried about my appearance over a _guy? _Since when had I ever done that? I hadn't even met the guy! Who cared if he like me or not?

'_I would.'_ A little voice whispered at the back of my head, but I quickly shut it up and shoved it away.

It didn't matter anyway because one, I still didn't completely believe I was in Twilight and secondly, for all I knew, Edward could have already fallen in love with Bella…That bitch.

I really didn't like her. She was annoying, selfish, and weak and experienced no character development at all throughout the whole series. Like, why someone as cultured as Edward Cullen would even fall in love with her is beyond me dude. Like, I'm not saying I'm any better but even my best friend (and only friend) Lucianna would be a better match, vain as she was.

"_Arsinoё! Are you ready?" _My aunt's voice called from downstairs, making me snap out of my thoughts and turn away from the mirror.

'_Not really.' _I answered mentally but really, there was nothing I could do but hope for the best.

"Almost!" I replied, padding out of the bathroom and to my wardrobe. I was only slightly surprised to see it fully stocked with clothing, with all the crazy nonsense going on, it was not even a bump in my path. I picked out a simple outfit, one that was nice but not too attention grabbing. Not that it would do anything, with my hair and all.

It was a simple pair of Moroccan printed pants (kinda what Psy wears. Or at least what he _will _wear) and an elbow length black shirt with nude colored pumps. I looked nice, but simple.

I tied my hair up in a bun, purple strands falling everywhere but I didn't really care and then I grabbed my phone which I wasn't planning on using except for music purposes and headed downstairs.

"Good Morning Arsinoё. Did you sleep well?" My aunt asked, looking extremely posh and elegant in her silver silk night gown and slippers. She was daintily eating a bowl of fruit muesli, assorted fruits cut up inside.

'_Ay man, there was only one Zaho Zeidan in the world…'_ I thought in amusement. I sat down across from her, at the kitchen island next to her, smiling gratefully when a bowl of Coco Pops was set in front of me by Nina. It seemed she remembered my own preference. I poured the milk and dug in eagerly.

"I do love your nails." My aunt commented next to me, making me pause and see what she was talking about. To my surprise, my nails still bright colored marble art which Lucy had done yesterday afternoon. I half expected it to be gone or something. I shrugged and smiled.

"Thanks. Lucianna did them for me." I elaborated. She frowned in confusion and I belatedly noticed my slip up. I hadn't met Lucy until I started Uni.

"Lucianna?" She asked and I quickly stuffed my face with cereal, pretending I hadn't heard. Then to my surprise, my aunt let out a random exclamation, startling both me and Nina.

"AH! I have a surprise for you. Hurry so I can show you!" She said to me, getting out her chair and heading out to the hallway. My eyebrows furrowed and after chugging down the rest of my chocolate milk, I followed after her, throwing a helpless look at our helper who chuckled.

She had gone outside, I noticed when I followed, so I decided to grab my backpack once that way I wouldn't have to go back inside. When I emerged into the driveway though, I was a tad bit surprised.

Okay, 'tad' being an understatement. Flabbergasted might be the right word.

Flabbergasted…What a funny word that was…

Okay, back to the present.

There, parked in the driveway right outside the garage, was a very lovely and shiny brand new Range Rover in my favorite color, dark blue. It was the latest model too!

Letting out a squeal piglets would be proud of, I ran forward and hugged my grinning aunt with as much force as possible, prompting a laugh from her.

"You like it I assume? Your mother told me it was what you wanted but when they bought your car it was sold out." She explained and I nodded, recalling the time. For my going away present to Uni, my parents bought me a car, but it wasn't this one, instead it was a Volvo that I took with me.

"I love it. Thank you Aunty!" I said happily, my smile so bright even a blind man could see it. My Aunt smiled and then handed me a pair of keys, which I grabbed easily, noticing the silver and diamond keychain(I had a suspicion that they was real) with my name on it. That too, most have cost a fortune. But I'm sure it didn't even put a dent in her pocket.

"Go now, before you're late. Remember-" But I cut her off with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, yes. To go straight to the office, I know Aunty Zaho. See you later?" I asked, unsure. She seemed to think about this for a moment, before shaking her head, loose strands flying.

"Maybe not. I'll be driving up to Seattle for the opening of the new branch. And then there is a cocktail I must attend. You might be asleep by the time I return." She explained and I rolled my eyes, seeing the amused grin on her face.

"Just another day in the life of the famous fashion designer." I said, equally amused. "Aye, aye captain. See you then." She nodded and I got in the car, she going inside.

I shut the door behind me then took out my phone, plugging it into the cord to act at the radio. Just because the music hadn't been made yet, didn't mean I couldn't listen to it.

Ellie Goulding's Burn came on and I smiled, humming along. It gave me the pick me up I needed to face the morning.

And much to my own surprise, I found myself looking forward to the day.

"_Cause we got the fire, fire, fire! Yeah we got the fire, fire, fire! _

_And we gonna let it burn, burn, burn, burn!"_

* * *

I arrived at Forks High at 7:48 am precisely, and as soon as I turned into the parking lot, all smiles and sunshine listening to Gentlemen, all attention turned to me.

Maybe it was because of my pure awesomeness and cool car….Or maybe because I was blasting the music so loud you could hear it through the windows and doing my best to do the dance while holding on to the steering wheel….But either way, I ignored them, not ready for my awesome morning to be ruined.

"_I'm a mother father Gentleman!" _I sang happily, finding a parking space immediately, next to a black polo…Damn, I forgot what those things look like. No one uses them anymore in my world.

Switching off the ignition, I immediately put in my earphones just in time for that little speak thing and got out the car, volume so loud I blocked out the world.

And then my favorite part came on, you know that little skipping part where Psy goes from left to right? Well it did, and you know what? Eff, the crowd, because I never had friends anyway.

I skipped into the school, grin so wide I might have dislocated my cheeks, if that was even possible.

The worst part about being in 2005, is that no one would do the dance with you. Like, in my time, if you broke out in Harlem Shake at random, there'd be like a revolution or something.

"_Mother Father Gentlemen!" _I finished, just as the doors shut behind me, ignoring the shocked looks from the crowd, because really, YOLO.

* * *

I made my way to the office quickly, noticing the time and got my papers from Ms Cope. Though not without a "Hello dearie! My, what lovely skin you have! And your hair! I can tell its natural." and a "And your accent is so exotic and charming, do all Africans speak like you?". It made me embarrassed and slightly shy, 'cause I didn't know how to receive compliments. And I had even forgotten I had an accent. Everyone in Dublin got used to it after a while, so they stopped mentioning it and before that I was at home for like two years, and before that I was in Korea with my dad when he was placed as the ambassador there, and before that, I was home again…Okay..let's just say I travelled a lot. The point was, I had picked up many different accents over time and all mixed in with my original voice (don't even get me started at all the trouble I used to have when pronouncing English words with my Arabic tongue), it made for quite the mix. I wouldn't call my voice bad per se, at least from what I could hear, just different.

Anyway, after a found pat on the cheek, I was on my way to my first class, which was homeroom, but I don't know, maybe I smelled really nice or something cause while I was placing my stuff in my new locker, I was ambushed with another round of compliments.

"You're really pretty. I love your hair by the way." A voice said from behind me, making me jump in surprise and as I turned around, I was blinded by a white flash.

"Smile for the camera." The boy said cheekily. I blinked in surprise, trying to stop seeing stars. The boy was Asian by decent, with his thick black hair and slightly slanted eyes, but he had an American accent. Perhaps his grandparents were from there? He also had quite a bit of acne I noticed, taking in the red spots on his face. Other than that, he was okay looking I guess.

"Can I get a do-over?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in inquiry, to which he grinned.

"Nah, looks better when you're unsuspecting. I'm Eric Yorkie." He told me, putting the camera around his neck and holding out a hand for me to shake. I looked at it in wonder, once again startled. People actually still shook hands…Like, they really did. I didn't remember much about 2005, considering the fact that I was like, six in my own time, but I kinda do vaguely recall people doing that. So, being the polite person I was, I took it.

"Hi, I'm Arsinoё Zeidan." I replied, retracting my hand after a brief shake and discretely wiping it on my thigh. His face brightened like a child at a candy store and I took a scared step back. I didn't really know how to deal with…people that well. Hence the reason of one friend my whole life.

"So you're the foreign girl huh! Everyone's been talking about you. Nice dance you did earlier by the way, is it tribal or something?" He asked me. We were walking now, me holding my map and he just tagging along. Why did everyone assume Africans were like, bush people or something? Like, I can't skip without it being some type of traditional thing. But me, being the uncaring and sarcastic person I am replied with a "Yeah, the spirits just came over me." Prompting an amazed look from the Asian from my side and a slight snicker from me. Idiot.

"Awesome! You have an accent you know." He said, and I rolled my eyes. So apparently that would be a common thing here. I wonder if her knew that he was the one who sounded funny to me?

"Er, yeah." I answered, and apparently we had the same homeroom or something cause he followed me into the class when I found it. It was semi-full and I was met with many curious stares from the occupiers.

"Awesome, it's really cool though." He complimented and I secretly hoped maybe a friend of he's would call him over so he wouldn't sit next to me. I didn't do well with pointless chatter.

"Thanks." Was my answer. But judging by his eager look, he wouldn't be going anywhere. Damn.

I took a seat near the back of the class by a window overlooking the parking lot, and the window was wet with rain, the clouds heavy and grey outside. I didn't mind though, I loved the weather in Forks, it reminded me of Ireland.

"Mr Yorkie, I wasn't aware that you had transferred into my class. No one informed me. Please tell me when this happened?" A sarcastic voice asked just as said boy was about to open his mouth again. Eric blushed and I marveled. I don't think I've ever seen anyone blush dude.

"Er, I was just helping the new student get to class Mr Varner." He replied, looking embarrassed, making a few students snicker.

"Ah, Miss Zeidan. Nice to finally meet you." He said looking at me through thin spectacles. I smiled and nodded. He turned back to the boy next to me.

"Well, Mr Yorkie, it looks like Miss Zeidan has arrived safely so is there anything else you need?" He asked, pushing up his glasses. I had a feeling I would like this guy.

"Er, no." Eric replied dumbly, making both me and Mr Varner roll our eyes.

"Well then leave." He stated and Eric did just that, tail between his legs.

I looked at Mr Varner, an amused glint in my eyes and he smiled just a tad.

Yeah, I think he was my new favorite teacher.

* * *

Homeroom passed quickly, along with Physics and my favorite subject, English. That was where I met Jessica Stanly and Lauren Smith.

It went a bit like this;

"Hi! You're Arsinoё right?" A cheerful strawberry blond asked, startling me. I looked away from the window (I loved window seats) to see an eager face looking at me. She was pretty, I noticed, with her pale skin, blue eyes and strawberry blond hair. There was another girl sitting next to her though, and this one didn't look too friendly.

"Er, yeah?" It sounded more like a question, even to me. Jessica paid this no heed, instead looking at me with probing eyes.

"You're like, from Africa?" She asked again, and I nodded unsurely. From behind her, Lauren gave me another look, kinda maybe like I was beneath her notice? Eh, what was her problem?

"Oh cool! I love you're tan by the way! And is you're hair natural?" This chick just kept coming with the questions, and I was getting annoyed.

"Thanks. Yes, my hair is natural." I answered, not saying more than I had to. Jessica nodded, eager.

"Oh! Does everyone in Africa look like you?" She asked and inwardly I facepalmed. This chick…

No, not ever yone in Africa looked like me, people in the North did. Most had lovely brown chocolate skin and matching eyes, not to mention beautiful bushy thick hair, but unlike my own bush, they somehow managed to control it.

But instead I replied with "I guess." And a shrug.

And let's just say from then on, she didn't stop talking.

History passed quickly too, and it was slightly interesting learning about the American Civil war but other than that, my morning was pretty boring. Luckily for me, it was lunch now, and I couldn't wait to plug in my earphones and ready the Withuring Heights book we had started in class.

"Noё!" I heard a voice call whilst I was picking up a Tuna and Mayo sandwich with some milk. I looked up to see Jessica waving obnoxiously from a table in the middle of the room and with a heavy sigh, I went over. I had said I would sit with them at lunch, but I wasn't planning on making good on the promise.

"…Hey Jessica." I said, when I got there. I was also met with quite a bunch of curious stares from the occupants (Lauren not counting.)

"Everyone, this is Arsinoё. She's from Africa." Jessica introduced, pointing at me. It was met with a bunch of "Hey"s and "Sup"s and stuff. I sat down reluctantly and silently ate my sandwich, ignoring the chatter around me.

Then, the cafeteria doors opened.

I don't know what made this different from all the other times it did, cause it sounded perfectly normal to me but apparently not to everyone else, so swallowing the bite in my mouth, I looked to see what everyone was staring at.

Holy Shiat.

The Cullens. It was the Cullens. And let me tell you, that they were absoulutely magnificent. Just looking at them, especially Rosalie and Alice, made me feel like I took a shot to my self-esteme.

Like, what the fuck?

And the last to walk in, the one who made everygirl swoon and fall over, was Edward Cullen, and my heart just stopped.

BUT! I would not be deceived! So, with a scoff, I rolled my eyes and said (knowing perfectly well they could hear me.),

"They're kinda ugly don't you think?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at Jessica, who chocked on her own milk.

I swear I almost saw a few members of my future family trip and I had to hide a grin. The best part of this, was I knew that Edward couldn't hear my thoughts, cause I was thinking about him and his family the whole morning, their secrets and stuff and he didn't even acknowledge me.

"W-what?" Jessica sputtered, looking at me like I was crazy. Lauren and the other girl at the table did too. I shrugged.

"Well, all that perfection is quite ugly. I dunno, most people like them are pretty ugly on the inside. I just don't find it appealing." I thought I saw Edward shoot me a curious glance from his table, but I'm not sure.

"Arsinoё, they're gorgeous!" Lauren exclaimed, and I shook my head.

"If you say so sister." I answered uncaringly. "Who are they anyway?" I asked, sipping my milk and dusting the crumbs from my fingers.

"Those are the Cullens. They came down here from Alaska two years ago. Doctor Cullen and his wife adopted them, cause apparently she can't have kids." Lauren said, sniffing as if just the mere thought was absurd. I frowned, that wasn't very nice.

"So what? It's really sad when someone can't have kids Lauren. My aunt can't either. I thinks its really nice that Mrs Cullen did that. And maybe, they might come to appreciate her more than her own kids ever could, because she took care of them when no one else wanted to." I replied, and this time, it wasn't for sure. I had always thought that Esme was a really nice person, Carlisle as well, and I didn't like the way Lauren talked about them. It was silent for a moment, and from the corner of my eyes, I saw Edward frown even more, and his brothers and sisters look slightly shocked.

"…Yeah, well anyway, they're all together. Like, _together_ together." She answered, huffing and once more, I really didn't see the problem. Maybe cause I knew that they used to be perfect strangers?

"Well, except for that bronze haired beauty sitting alone. Edward, and apparently no one here is good enough for him." Lauren continued, flipping her hair angrily and I smirked. I couldn't resist. She had it coming anyway.

"Aye…Learnt this from experience huh? Must've felt the burn didn't you?" I drawled nonchalantly, and much to everyone's surprise, a loud guffaw rang out through the cafeteria. Though it stopped as soon as it started. It was most probably Emmett, and looking at their table once more, even Edward was covering a smile.

"E-Excuse me?" Lauren asked, affronted and shooting me daggers. Jessica too and the other girl were trying to hide sniggers. I shrugged and sipped my milk calmly.

"What she's trying to say is that he's just not interested, so don't bother trying." The unknown girl said, adjusting her glasses. What was her name in the first place?

"Yeah, Angela's right. Just setting yourself up for heartbreak." Jessica finished, pouting and I had a feeling that she too had tried to win Edward's affection, prompting me to smirk in amusement.

"Wasn't planning on it." I stated, then sneaking one last glance at their table, I stood up, ready to ditch this crowd. I was getting tired of all the…humans.

Lol, what was I, a vampire? Yes, I realized the irony of that statement.

"Where you going?" Jessica asked, noticing my movement. I shrugged helplessly, thinking of a lie immediately. Come to think of it, I had been shrugging a lot lately. That needed to change…

"I need to go and see Ms Cope about a few of my classes. She said to meet her after I finished lunch." I answered, pushing in my chair and tossing my things into the bin a few feet away. One of the boys let out an impressed whistle.

"Woah, Africa, good aim you got there!" He exclaimed and I sent a bored look, tired of acting nice.

"Yeah, okay, I'll see you guys later." I said before I turned around and left, fully aware of the Cullens' glances when I passed their table.

* * *

In the end, after spending the few remaining minutes of lunch break in the art room, I was late for Biology. Turns out, that the science classes were in a completely different building from the rest.

"Sorry I'm late! I got lost!" I exclaimed apologetically, five minutes tardy for class. The teacher paused his explanation as well as writing on the board, and looked at me. Along with like, twenty other students.

"Its quite alright. Many people get lost. Even I do sometimes." He replied, smiling reassuringly, and I nodded, relieved.

"You arrived just in time anyway, I was just starting. Please take a seat anywhere you'd like." He answered, gesturing to the room….which only had one seat left…And it was currently situated next to a glaring vampire.

Oh shit.

In all honesty, I had forgotten about this part, why, because I didn't think that I would have the same effect Bella did on Edward. Wasn't it like, extremely rare to find your singer? Heh, what were the chances. But anyway, I wasn't scared of Edward…

Okay, maybe I was just a tad.

I sat down confidently anyway, not one to be deterred and I didn't even feel insulted when I noticed him discreetly angling his chair as far as possible away from me.

Poor guy. I probably smelt like the most delicious thing in the world to him right now. Kinda like how Apple Crumble smelt to me. Heavenly.

I opened up the brand new note book I had gotten from the office this morning, and wrote the date and title in the neatest way possibly, because even if Edward looked like I had personally killed his puppy or something, he was still watching my every movement. Like a hawk. So the least I could do was be a Hawk with neat handwriting right?

But even though I was inwardly cackling with laughter at that joke (and even deeper fearing for my life) I decided to make things easier for him by putting my hair down from its ponytail, that way at least the scent of my blood would be muffled by my minty smell of my shampoo I had used this morning. It seemed to make things better I saw, by the way he relaxed just a tad bit more, and his black eyes didn't feel like a fire burning right through me. Now it just felt like fire being sent to me. BIG difference.

The rest of the forty-three minutes of Biology were spent taking notes, trying my best to not inconvenience him and maybe become dinner and marveling at how good looking he was, in a discreet way of course.

In the cafeteria, I wasn't lying when I said I thought their perfection was ugly. Because normally, if I saw someone as beautiful as them I would brush them off and think the exact opposite. Normally people like them were vain and arrogant, and it was rare to find someone who could look away from the mirror for ten seconds. I knew the Cullens weren't like that though…Well maybe except for Rosalie but she was a special case.

But now, looking at Edward close up (though slightly blocked from my hair acting as a curtain) I could fully understand why Bella couldn't get over his perfection. It was annoying though, when she couldn't stop going on about his looks but fully warranted.

Edward was like some Roman God who had been thrown out of heaven for being too good looking. Okay, maybe that comparison was a little too close to home but there were slight differences.

Anyway, I understand why most girls could help but stop and faint over him, with his bronze colored hair, that looked like he had just been sleeping and he hadn't bothered to brush it, now black eyes, with when you stared into them, felt like you were falling into the depths of an abyss, his perfectly sculpted nose, strong, but yet still boyish jaw and not to mention he had _THE _most perfect lips. My gosh, they were just begging to be kissed. By me preferably. Sadly, that wouldn't be happening for a long long time, if at all really. I still wasn't sure whether he'd fall for me or not, but I would do everything in my power to make it happen.

Of course, I wasn't analyzing him while actually staring at him, because he would know, so I took a quick glance, acting like I was curious or something then looked away, his face perfectly memorized in my mind. Sometimes, having a photogenic memory helped. A lot.

I finished copying the notes in my neat cursive script, (nothing compared to my lab partners though I saw, when I looked at them in envy) and waited the short remaining minutes until class ended. Edward had finished long ago of course, and he was just busy ignoring me by looking out the window. Glancing at my nails, I noticed that they were still perfect and I couldn't help but be disappointed. I really wanted to chip them, but honestly, they looked to pretty and I just couldn't help myself.

So instead, I started thinking.

I thought about random things, things like my home in Egypt, the many countries I had visited, all the languages I was fluent in (six, if you didn't count Tolkien Elvish). I contemplated ancient history, music of the different ages, stuff like that until I lost track of time and the bell rang, jostling me out of my thoughts. Though, before I could even fully comeback to the present, Edward was already up and out the door.

Sigh…Oh well.

The rest of the day went okay I guess, even when I ran into Edward trying to convince Ms Cope to switch his class with something else. It didn't bother me, because I knew his reasons and stuff.

And then after that ordeal, I got into the car (my beautiful, beautiful car), blasted Fine China, ignored the looks I got from everyone, and headed home.

I did my homework quickly, ate dinner, chilled on the internet for a while and then went to bed, surprisingly tired.

But then I remembered that my darling Eddie-kun wouldn't be at school for like, a week and groaned in frustration, before shoving my face into the pillows.


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the week passed quickly meshed into a blend of Christina Aguilera and Lana Del Rey Music, along with a dash of avoiding people. I was correct in my assumption when I predicted that Edward would be gone for the whole week but the funny thing is; his family was glaring at me like it was my fault. Like, really? Well, I suppose it was in a funny roundabout way I guess but still, it wasn't nice to feel daggers piercing through your head anytime they were in the vicinity. Though one good thing happened during the course of the week, which was me being bumped up in the senior classes. Correction; most of my classes were now senior level, Biology being one of the exceptions, much to my relief. Anyway, when the principle called me into his office and told me of the news, I was pretty ecstatic, because the junior classes were getting too easy for me, meaning I was getting bored with them. I was eager to hurry up and graduate, so I could get out of this hell hole and go back to Ireland. Because it wasn't like Trinity College ceased to exist in 2005. It was still there, just different from what I had seen of their current website. I was also really happy that I could stay in Bio, that way I could still see Edward, though I knew that if he really wanted to, he could get himself into the higher grades faster than I could say "Sparkle".

During the weekend, I attended one of my aunt's fashion shows, as well as the after party, which I didn't really like that much cause it was noisy and crowded, but I danced a lot to all the old songs from this decade that I had mostly forgotten about and had saved on a USB somewhere in my old time. Anyway, we stayed late until like three in the morning, so Sunday was spent sleeping and being lazy. I even contemplated going down to the beach in La Push but I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea. I didn't want to destroy my relationship with Edward before it had even begun.

That's another important thing that happened during that week. I realized that I _really _would like to be Edward's soul mate for the rest of eternity. When this whole thing started, I didn't really think about it that much, mostly because I thought this was all some type of messed up dream that I would wake up from, but after the third day of living with that notion, I realized that it was stupid and this was as real as reality could get. I brooded for the remainder of that day but eventually got over it, because like they said it 2012, YOLO!

Edward deserved to be happy, and I thought maybe that I could do the job pretty well actually, hopefully better than Bella anyway. Even _Lauren _would be better than that chick. So, thus I decided that I was serious in trying to win that vampire's heart and began reading the Twilight series over again. I had once bought them on Amazon. Thank god for IPads.

So it was with that positive outlook on life that I faced Monday. I didn't even grumble that much when my alarm rang. And that was a damn good sign.

I got ready quickly, before wearing a pair of navy blue ankle length tights, a light blue Billabong T-shirt and a matching cardigan on top, for the slight chill in the air. But just as I was about to leave my room, I decided to change my black pumps for my grey Elf ankle boots. Like the ones everyone wears in Shingeki no Kyojin before the attack of Wall Maria. Except these were grey.

They just looked like the shoes Elves would wear.

Breakfast was a quick affair, aunt Zaho had already left the house so it was just me and Nina, who was busy cleaning. I finished my cereal, then popped in a piece of mint gum in my mouth. Hey, I wanted to have cool breath.

I drove to school belting out the lyrics to Off to the Races by LDR and like always, ignored the incredulous looks from my classmates as I parked my car and stayed in the seat for the remainder of the ten minutes until the bell rang. The volume was loud, but I didn't care that everyone could hear music from the future. I sang along while dancing and tapping the steering wheel, watching at everyone watch me.

And then a silver Volvo drove in, briefly drawing everyone's attention away. I too looked at them, and blatantly rolled my eyes when I saw they took up three parking spots with no shame at all. Then they all stepped out, seemingly in slow motion like some movie, looking perfect as always but the only one who really captured my attention was Edward, who emerged looking oh so yummy today, in dark blue jeans, a grey V-neck sweater, the grey coat he wore in the Twilight movie and very expensive Diesel shoes. Don't ask me how I knew they were Diesel. I just knew.

His gaze immediately landed on my car (which now had Live or Die playing) and he looked through at me, and I saw his eyes were now liquid topaz. It was absolutely beautiful, even better than the black. But I pretended I didn't notice his gaze, instead fully switching off the engine, and disconnecting my phone. I plugged in my brand new headphones (I had bought them when I was in Seattle with Aunt Zaho) and walked into the school, eager to start the day, fully aware of the gazes being shot my way. I was used to it, an everyday occurrence for me.

The morning passed quickly, me easily breezing through the classes and being bored, then lunch came along and sadly, this time I unsuccessfully tried to avoid Jessica who latched on to me as soon as I got my food.

She was chattering on about something I didn't pay attention and like always, I just sat in my seat silently nibbling on to my sandwich. That is until, Jessica let out a squeal and shoved my shoulder, almost shoving me off my chair and making me choke on the bread, prompting a laugh from Lauren. I glared at Jessica, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't look now, but Edward Cullen is staring at you!" Which obviously meant she wanted me to. That chick was crazy, so instead I huffed irritably and roughly took a bite of the bread in my hands.

"That's it? That's why you almost tried to murder me?" I asked, finishing the last bite. Angela giggled, but remained silent and watched us.

But I decided to humor her and I turned around to see what she was talking about, and indeed said Cullen was staring and he didn't look away either, his eyebrows just furrowing further.

Ah, he must've been trying to read my mind.

I sighed softly, then I looked away, my hair blocking him out.

I would see him soon anyway.

The bell rang soon after that, and I quickly threw away my things and headed out the cafeteria before everyone else and made my way to biology, eager to see Eddie-kun for some inexplicable reason.

I wasn't surprised to see him in his seat already, like the vast majority of the class and I slowly went to sit next to him. I had already placed my things on my side of the desk before I went to lunch, and I saw they were in the exact same spot I had left them, not disturbed by an inch at all.

I sat down hesitantly, before opening my note book to a fresh page, writing the date and title on the board.

"_Hello." _I heard, and I jumped, startled, before looking at him in surprise. His voice was so smooth and velvety that it wasn't fair, and I suddenly didn't want to open my mouth, for some reason embarrassed of my own. I had to though, so I went in the blunt direction.

"Hi." I replied, whilst skimming over last week's notes so I could seem busy. Edward wasn't swayed, thankfully.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last week. I'm Edward Cullen. You're Arsinoё Zeidan, right?" I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. No, I was Michael Jackson.

"How do you know my name?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, going with Bella's reply. Edward chuckled lowly, aware that Mr Varner had just started the lesson.

"Forks is a small town. News travels fast." Was all he said back and I 'hmmed' in agreement before 'concentrating' on my notes. Then I looked back at him, catching him staring.

"You were gone last week." I stated, blunt as ever. I saw a flash of panic in his topaz eyes before it was smothered and replaced with a slight smile. I wished I could roll my eyes at him.

"Yes. I was out of town for a couple of days. Family reasons." He said, but sadly, I knew he was lying, so I smirked and finished writing the summary from the board before reaching for the microscope. I already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I totally understand. When my grandmother's sister's cousin's brother's daughter's friend's cousin's pet gold fish dies, I will always go running." I said in a faux understanding tone. Edward let out an incredulous chuckle next to me, but I looked into the microscope to avoid his gaze. Then not even two seconds away, pushed it towards my lab partner and wrote the answer.

"Prophase." I stated absentmindedly, scribbling down the answer. Edward pulled it towards himself.

"Mind if I take a look?" I nodded and he did as intended, before coming away from the lens with a smirk.

"Prophase." He acknowledged, sounding amused.

"Told you so." I shrugged, earning a chuckle. Things were going quite well.

"Where did you hear that?" He asked, sounding highly amused. I snorted wrily, giving him a look that said "reall?"

"Everyone's been saying it." I replied, idly twirling my pen.

"And you believed them?" He asked, raising an amused eyebrow. I snickered lowly, looking at him with a mischievous glint in my eyes.

"Nah, I just wanted to see your reaction."

Edward chuckled and shook his head as if he were thinking about something amusing.

"So, how are you finding the cold weather? I can't imagine you're used to it." He asked, changing the subject and making small talk. Ugh, he just ruined it. Inwardly, I was getting angry. Why did everyone have such crazy assumptions about Africa? Yeah, it was hot most of the time, but doesn't mean I had never seen rain in my life! This is one of the reasons why I avoid other people. Their stupidity annoyed me. Not that Edward was stupid, but I just couldn't fathom why he would ask me about something as mundane as the weather.

Edward saw my irritation and frowned, no doubt thinking he had said something wrong, which he had.

"You're asking me about the weather?" I asked, my eyebrows raised in surprise, Edward seemed to relax a tad and he smiled, almost making me go into cardiac arrest.

"I suppose I am. Is there a problem with inquiring about your opinion of our gloomy weather here in Forks?" He asked, cheeky, and what he said threw me for a loop. I didn't expect him to say that, it wasn't in the books nor in the movie. Sure, I didn't want our conversations to be an exact replica of the series but it was slightly scary losing the only leverage I had so quickly, which was my knowledge of future events, dialogue included.

"None at all. You just didn't strike me as the type to make small talk. Or any talk at all." I answered, before saying "Anaphase." and sliding him the microscope automatically, already writing the brief description under my answer. "Do you mind if I check?" I heard his voice ask and I grunted a reply. He took it as a positive and looked, before nodding and writing the same answer as mine, as well as a much better and more put together description, in like one minute.

"You haven't answered my question." He said, turning back to me, eyebrow raised. He was right and I sighed, but it was a happy sigh.

"In all honesty," I started, looking at him casually, "I love the weather here. I lived in Ireland before I came, you know? It's rainy there too. The damp, the coolness and greyness of places like these appeal to me very much. The air is so fresh and crisp, making you just want to breathe it in all day, not to mention how healthy the fauna is, so beautiful and healthy looking." I said wistfully, forgetting I was with him but when I glanced back at him, he had this shocked yet pleased type of look on his face. Like he was happy about my answer and yet surprised by it.

"What made you move to Forks?" He asked, looking into the microscope and writing down the answer in his notebook quickly, and yet he still made it look like calligraphy.

I sighed, copying what he had written, followed by a description. Edward's eyebrows furrowed. Hmm, he was big on the eyebrow thing wasn't he? Tch, Lol dude.

"Its…um…complicated." I answered, knowing that he wouldn't drop it. I panicked though, 'cause unlike Bella, I didn't even know what to say. Do I saw "Oh, well you see, one second I was in my room and the next I was in Forks, in the land of fictional characters." Ha, like that would go well.

"I think I can keep up." He said smirking and right then and there, my heart skipped a beat, or three…and judging by the widening of his smirk and amused glint in his eyes, he knew it too. I was almost embarrassed. _ALMOST._

"College scouts." I answered, trying to be truthful and yet lie at the same time. Edward looked slightly taken aback. "With my…..above average grades, many universities have been 'watching' me, if you must. My parents and aunt thought that it would be best if I got away from the city for a while to focus on my grades with no distractions. I come from an…" I trailed off, unsure of how to continue, "…Important family to say the least and of course the name can't be tarnished (can you hear the sarcasm?) , so it was either Forks or boarding school. I chose the former, as you can see." I explained, shrugging nonchalantly, before quickly scribbling down the last two answers Edward had somehow procured during my explanation. Said boy was…well, looking shocked. And I knew he was ten times more than the word in his mind because I could actually read his expression, which he normally hid relatively well. I didn't see what the big deal was though, honestly, this guy was confusing.

Edward's faced smoothly slipped into a marble mask and he casually put the microscope in the middle of the table, now done with it. His hand brushed against mine though, but unlike Bella, I didn't jump or squeal at the coldness of it. Instead I just poked it once, then pushed away gently with my index finger, moving it back to its rightful owner. Eddie-kun stared at me quizzically, retracting his hand fully with a mix of horror, surprise and confusion in his eyes. I shrugged and turned back to the clock, noticing we had four minutes left. I was done, and Mr Varner was explaining the homework (a summary of how all the stages worked together and stuff) so I began packing away my things, much like everyone else in class. The boy/man/vampire (what did I call him in the first place?) next to me, well, his things were already stacked neatly and as soon as the bell rang, he had gathered them and was out the door quickly.

_Tch, some people._

* * *

History was interesting, but I didn't pay much attention, eager to go home. I was exhausted for some reason when the bell rang and by the time I had packed away my unneeded books in my locker and gathered the ones I would need into my backpack, I was visibly dragging myself to my car.

As I fumbled with finding the keys in my bag, I felt eyes on me and looked up, only slightly surprised to see it was the Cullens. I looked at them look at me, and noticed that Edward wasn't with them for some reason. After a few seconds of curious silent questions, I waved sarcastically, pasted on the fakest smile in the world and got inside the car, not wasting a second by immediately switching it on and driving out the parking lot, accompanied by the soft sound of Ride by Lana Del Rey, making my exit that much cooler. From the left sideview mirror, I saw Edward arrive just before I turned out the gate and into the freeway, and I caught him giving my car a questioning glance. I looked away before he knew I could see him and sighed heavily.

I still had a long way to go.

"Couscous, couscous, does whatever it is couscous does. It is yummy, and delish..Look out, there you are couscous!" I sang, pushing down my cart down the aisle at the grocery store. I had decided that I was tired of Nina's cooking and wanted to make something for myself. It wasn't that her cooking wasn't nice or anything, it was just too fancy for my tastes, it had to be prepared to my aunts tastes after all. As I was picking out the fancy packet with the weird dude in a turban, I heard a very soft sound behind me, almost like a giggle. I raised my eyes from my inspection of the package and turned around ready to ask the person if they needed something, because I had no intentions of stopping my Couscous song because of them.

Much to my surprise though, I was met with the sight of a very beautiful woman smiling softly when I met her gaze. She had soft looking caramel hair that spilled down her shoulders in wavy curls, lovely golden eyes that held warmth, a perfect feminine face with lovely high cheekbones and soft looking rosy lips and curves in all the right places. Not to mention her pale complexion which made her look like fragile porcelain that could break at any moment. She was beautiful. Way too beautiful actually.

Ah…She must be Esme, my mind connected easily.

"Oh, excuse me, it's just, you're song…about the couscous I mean, was just adorable." She gushed, smiling brightly, and making my insides melt. Damn this woman.

I looked to the ground, abashed whilst fiddling with the pack in my hands, not knowing how to reply.

"Er, t-thank you?" It was more of a question than a statement and I nervously tucked a strand of errant purple hair that was falling in to my eyes behind my ear, shifting from foot to foot. Esme giggled, before hesitantly taking a step forward, basket in hand. I noticed it contained common food items that frequently ran out, milk, bread, eggs, the like.

"I'm Esme Cullen. My husband works down at the hospital." She introduced, but she didn't hold out her hand. It was weird to think that confident and sure Esme would be nervous because of me, she just didn't seem like type.

So instead, I pasted on a smile, a soft and inviting one and asked with no little amount of nervousness, if she would like to have a cup of coffee with me(Yes, I knew she didn't actually drink _coffee) _at the little café next door. I don't know why I asked, it just seemed like the right thing to do.

Luckily for me, she agreed easily and we quickly paid finished our shopping, chatting happily all the while and soon bonded over mugs of steaming hot Chocachino's, which, surprisingly she drank.

I was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her, even if she was only a perfect stranger not even hours before and contrary to my initial assumptions, we had a great many things in common.

Then we spent the rest of the afternoon talking about all our favorite female heroines in history and the different fashions of multiple historic eras.

We left after exchanging numbers and promises to meet up again sometime.

When I got home, finished cooking and doing my homework, just as I was about to fall asleep, I couldn't help but think that for a mother of five, a wife, and a matriarch of a vampire coven, she was surprisingly easy to relate to.

* * *

_**Bet you didn't expect Esme this early, huh? I thought I would give it a twist, not that this will be like most Twilight fics, I plan to make this mostly lighthearted and romantic. Quite fluffy, but not too much :)**_

_**Thanx to my first three reviewers(yes, even you who kindly informed me that Forks is indeed a real live place:), you guys gave me the motivation to finish this as fast as possible. **_

_**By the way, the songs/artists I list in the fic are mostly always the ones I'm listening to while writing so they kind of make a good soundtrack. Right now I'm listening to Settle Down by The 1975's.**_

_**If you're interested, at the beggining pf every chappie, I can make a playlist for you all to listen to while reading? Review and tell me, I don't mind. I love sharing music with others. **_

_**If any of you are concerned about Chikara, I'm not too sure when I'll update, but it will be before the end of the month. That I promise.**_

_**Lots of love,**_

_**Blue **_


	4. Chapter 4

_What I listened to when writing this:_

_Chandelier-Sia_

_Electricity-FMLYBND_

_The Boat Song-Set Sail_

_The Love Club-Lorde_

_Glory and Gore-Lorde_

_White teeth teens-Lorde_

_Starry Eyed-Ellie Goulding_

_Sore Dewa Mata Ashita-Asian Kung Fu Generation_

_Settle Down-Kimbra_

_Bezerk-Eminem_

_Cosmic Love- Florence and The Machine_

_Brick by Boring Brick-Paramore_

_The Only Exception-Paramore_

_Clair de Lune-Claude Debussy_

_Maid with Flaxen Hair-Claude Debussy_

_Fine China-Chris Brown_

_Gangnam Style-PSY_

_Everytime you go-Ellie Goulding_

_Talk Dirty-Jason Derulo_

_Live or die-Lana Del Rey_

_Wish I Stayed-Ellie Goulding_

_(I have a very eccentric and random taste in music :)_

* * *

That morning, I woke up feeling slightly anxious. The reason was because today would be the day of the van incident and I wasn't sure if I wanted to participate in the 'fun' even. Can you sense the sarcasm? I didn't think it would be worth risking my life just to see if Edward would save me or not. I wasn't Bella. So how was I supposed to know if he would react the same way? It just wasn't really worth it. But then again, someone else might just get hit by the van and I'm like 100% sure that none of the Cullens would be willing to risk their secret to save some random student who most probably cursed them as soon as their backs were turned.

With a resigned sigh, I tossed over and buried my face in my fluffy pillow, inwardly groaning at my dilemma.

Actually, speaking of Bella, where the was she? She was supposed to arrive around the same time I did, but it had been maybe two weeks since my arrival in Forks and still no sign. Her father was here, that I knew because I occasionally saw him in his cruiser driving around and stuff. I wondered if maybe she wouldn't be coming? I hoped so. I didn't need any more complications in trying to win Edward.

I snorted. Winning Edward huh? I made it sound like he was some type of prize for the taking. Then I frowned, sitting up and brushing strands of hair from my face. That wasn't it at all. I just…really wanted him to love me as much as I him. But if Bella came, I could kiss him out the window. Literally.

Sighing, I swung my legs off the bed and headed on over to the bathroom to get ready. Maybe I could just be late and skip the whole van incident altogether. Meh.

I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, tried to tame the purple bush that passed as my hair and quickly got dressed in a pair of black woolen stockings, a black and white woolen skirt and a long sleeved black top that had my surname printed on top. I also pulled on a grey beany and black gloves with black boots. I decided to let my hair loose as well. The thickness of it would protect my neck from the cold so I wouldn't need a scarf.

Like always, I grabbed my cell on my way out along with my backpack and made my way downstairs for breakfast.

"Good morning Darling. You slept well I assume?" My aunt asked as soon as I made my way into the kitchen. Nina was busy frying pancakes and I sighed at the smell.

"Mhmm. I didn't even notice the cold with the heating." I said, putting down my bag and sitting at the island next to her in one of the high stools.

"Good. You do know how to drive on ice no?" She asked, not really paying attention, instead replying to someone on her phone.

"Yep. The car has the setting." I replied, grinning broadly when a heaping plate of fatty goodness was placed in front of me. Psh, who cared about carbs?

Okay, that's not true…I had once struggled with being overweight…But with time and effort (along with many tears) I now weighed a proud fifty kilos.

"Alright then. I won't be here when you get home. I'm flying over to New York so I can start seeing the preparations for Fashion Week. I'll be back by the weekend. Hopefully anyway. Nina will be going with me. I can arrange someone to stay with you while we're gone if you like?" She asked, putting down the phone and turning to look at me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged.

"Nah, I can stay alone. It's fine." I answered, shoving another piece of food in my mouth. She looked vaguely disgusted, wrinkling her nose. Aunt Zaho then gave me a last once over and nodded.

"I trust you. If you have any boys over, at least use protection. I'm too young to be an aunt." She told me, smiling and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll be sure to stock up." I answered, drinking some of the milk in the glass in front of me. She laughed before finishing her tea and standing up to leave.

"Until then my dear." She said and I nodded. Nina smiled at me before collecting my now empty plate.

"Are you sure you want to stay alone? I can get Ann to come over and stay with you." She offered, but I shook my head. Ann was Nina's daughter and I didn't want to bother her. She had to take care of two children after all.

"Really, I'll be fine. It's just one week." I answered, getting my keys from the bowl in the middle of the islands and picking up my school bag.

"…Alright then." Nina acquiesced, yet she was still hesitant. I smiled one last time and left the house.

I got my coat from the hanger by the door (I had bought it because it was like an exact feminine version of Edward's grey one. Cheesy, I know.) and was extra careful when I made my way down the driveway towards my car. Luckily, my boots had rubber soles so the gripped the ground and I didn't even slip once.

When I got into the car, and had plugged in my phone I heaved one last weary sigh and made my way to Forks high, hoping that maybe fate would be kind.

* * *

I arrived at school belting out the lyrics to Chandelier by Sia, music at full volume.

"_Cause I'm just holding on for tonight, on for tonight, on for tonight!" _I finished, parking and ignoring all the stares I was getting. It was a normal occurrence for me. Just because looked at me weird doesn't mean I was going to stop playing my music. Fuck them. The principle didn't have a problem with it, so why should they?

I switched off the ignition, and unplugged my phone but when I glanced up again, I caught Edward staring at me with an amused smirk on his handsome face. I almost chocked and had a heart attack just from the sight of it but I managed to control my racing heart. Holy shiat, that boy didn't know what he did to the female population. Me especially. I blinked and sent a smile his way and much to my surprise, his smirk brightened. Luckily for me before I could embarrass myself and pass out in my car seat, there was a tap at the window. I forcibly pried my eyes away from Edward and looked to see who it was.

It was Angela, surprisingly and she was looking slightly hesitant.

I got out and smiled at her.

"Yo, sup?" I asked as we started walking together. She looked vaguely confused and I inwardly slapped myself. I forgot I shouldn't use my time slang with these people. Ugh, It was like living in the middle ages.

"Good Morning Arsinoё. I was wondering if maybe you could maybe help me with the math homework before school starts. Its not much, just a few problems I didn't understand." She said, looking nervous. Ah, so that was it. During my time here at Forks high, word had gotten around that I was a 'nerd'. I was even nerdier than the previous nerds apparently so that classified me as an outcast. The only people who actually talked to me were my lunch group.

"'K, show it to me." I said when we stopped by her white Toyota. She smiled gratefully and took out the books from her backpack and placed them on the boot. She explained to me what she didn't understand and I saw the problem immediately.

"Well, what you're doing wrong is multiplying these two numbers first in the equation. Have you ever heard of PEMDAS?" I asked and she shook her head so I took her pencil and wrote at the back for her.

"Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. Follow that and you shouldn't ever have a problem. Anyway, take care of that first, then when you get the result you can mov-" But my explanation was cut off by a loud screech sounding throughout the whole parking lot. No. _No. Oh hell no. _As soon as we heard the sound, both our heads snapped up in horror as we watched the blue van come barreling towards us.

"Angela, we have to move. Move now!" I shouted frantically, turning to the terrified Asian girl next to me. Sadly she was frozen in place and wasn't moving, her eyes fixated on the van in terror. I waved my hands in front of her face but she was so deeply retreated into herself she didn't even flinch away.

I looked frantically around the parking lot trying to think of something that would help us in the next five seconds and I caught sight of Edward's horror-struck face.

I don't know what happened to me then. It felt like a wave of calm fell over me when I saw his expression and somehow, I just knew he wasn't going to let Tyler hit me.

So instead I quickly regained my bearings and stopped panicking, focusing on saving Angela.

I quickly moved behind her and kicked the back of her knees so that she would fall into me and just before I felt the ton of bricks hit me, pushed her away with all of my strength. Screams filled the area but I didn't really hear them. Instead the wind was knocked out of my longs by the bulldozer which had just careened into me. We slid backwards and hit Angela's car hard, but before I could even register what happened, Edward's lightning fast hand had hit the side of the truck with a loud "Bam!" and he quickly swung my legs around so they wouldn't be run over.

It all happened so fast that I'm sure not even ten seconds had passed when everything finally went still.

"Arsinoё, are you alright?" My savior asked frantically. His cool, sweet breath washed over me so pleasantly I couldn't help but take a deep breath in before replying with a groan.

"I knew I shouldn't have woke up this morning." I answered, grinning mostly to myself. Edward chuckled making my smile widen and I swore I felt him pull me closer to his side.

"You should probably remove your hand print from the truck. People are approaching." I advised shifting so I could be more comfortable.

"What hand print?" He asked, trying to cover it up and when I looked again at the side of the van, it was perfectly fine. I smirked and rolled my eyes.

"Tch, yeah right. Ugh, you're so annoying." I told him. He grinned bemusedly at me but before he could reply a loud voice was heard.

"Don't move! An ambulance has been called and they will arrive shortly!" It was Mrs Cope. "Is anyone hurt?" She asked. I sighed and idly observed the person above me.

"We're alright Mrs Cope." Edward answered, ignoring all the other calls of people trying to check if we're alright.

"You can let go of me. Like you said, I'm alright." I said to him, trying to smile reassuringly. Then I remembered something.

"Oh my gosh! My phone! Where is my phone?! I was holding it when I was helping Angela and then you pushed me away!" I couldn't lose my phone. All my music was on. 16 gigs. Over two thousand songs. That was my life. Sure my Ipad and USBs had some but my phone had my favorites. I couldn't lose it. I frantically got out of his hold, ignoring his surprised look and tried in vain to look for my phone in the tight space between the two cars, hoping to God it hadn't been crushed.

"You mean this?" He asked picking up the sleek black object and looking at it weirdly. I pounced on it gratefully, not caring that I had landed in his lap and pressed the power button on the side and drawing the pattern on the screen to unlock it. After a quick once over of checking everything and sliding through the my music collection to make sure it was still there, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What is that?" Edward asked from above me. And I froze in his lap.

My phone was a Samsung Galaxy SII. It wasn't supposed to exist until eight years from now. Hell, touch screen wasn't supposed to exist until four. And now, in my panic I had shown him a very advanced piece of technology which I'm sure with all of his contacts, he hadn't even heard of. And now he was suspicious of me. Which wasn't a good thing.

"Shit." Was all I could say.

* * *

"I'm so, so sorry Arsinoё. It all happened so fast. I hit the ice wrong and next thing I knew I had lost control." Tyler apologised from the bed next to me for the umpteenth time. I sighed and once more tried to reassure him.

"Tyler. Please shut up. I've told you the last hundred times that I'm fine. Edward pulled me out of the way before anything could happen." I explained. Tyler looked confused, and his brows furrowed.

"Edward?" He asked, lost.

"Edward Cullen." I replied dryly. Tyler nodded, recognition dawning on his face. I blocked whatever else it was he was going to say and instead stared at my crossed legs in contemplation.

Aye…Edward Cullen. I had no idea what I was supposed to say to him. The way he looked at me when I tried to stammer out a response made it clear that he was suspicious of me. I had honestly no idea how to answer his question about my phone. It was a tense five seconds after I had uttered that single word, because when it came out of my I think I had just made it worse. The reaction to his question was enough for him to suspect me of something, and that wasn't a good thing if my goal was to earn his trust. I guess most people wouldn't be as worried as I was over a stupid phone. They would just construct a lie and be done with it. But Vampires were different. You couldn't lie to a vampire. Vampires were paranoid creatures. The Cullens already had enough reason to be suspicious of me, considering Edward couldn't read my mind and all, and now this was just another thing to add onto the list of ever growing mysteries.

Just then, Edward swept in the room, all smug smiles and sunshine, looking delicious as always. I glared at him.

"Hey man, I'm really sorry-"Tyler started sincerely but Edward raised a hand to cut him off and shot a kind grin, making my heart beat a bit faster.

"It's alright. No blood no foul." He said, then he chuckled a bit at his own joke and I just rolled my eyes, drawing his attention from Tyler. He took a seat on the bed on my right, swinging his legs playfully and shooting me an amused grin. I didn't see why he was in such a good mood. It annoyed me.

"Wipe that smug grin off your face douche." I snapped angrily, crossing my arms. He just smiled wider. "I don't see why you forced me to be examined. You were in the accident too." I told him, puffing my cheeks. Edward chuckled, and my anger almost slipped away.

"My father's a doctor. I get special treatment." He said, shrugging. I glared harder. "Lucky for you, I've come to bust you out." And just as he said that, the doors opened and in walked in the second most beautiful man I've ever seen in my life. I felt my breath hitch slightly.

Carlisle Cullen was a sight to see. No wonder all the nurses fawned over him, and I wouldn't be surprised if women(and some men) injured themselves purposely just to be treated by him.

He was like Edward, there was just no way to describe him, with his perfect silver hair and golden eyes. I inwardly swooned. And then a cough snapped me out of my daze and I looked to my right to see Edward with his arms crossed and glowering at his father and I. I laughed inwardly. Was he jealous I was checking his father out?

"Ah, Miss Zeidan. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you." Carlisle said pleasantly, still checking over my patient board. Like his appearance, his voice was just as beautiful.

"Nothing involving my father I hope." I answered, smiling at him. He laughed and jotted a few things down on the paper.

"Hmm…not entirely. Now it says here you hit your head?" He asked, putting down the files and coming towards me, flash light in hand. I nodded and sighed, exasperated.

"Yes, but the nurses already performed the X-rays and concluded that there is nothing wrong with me." I told him, blinking slightly when the bright beam was shone in my eyes.

"I see…Your hair is such an interesting color." He said, more to himself than to me. I inwardly rolled my eyes. So it was true how much he liked mysteries.

"It's a genetic defect. Hereditary on my mother's side." I answered when he stepped back. He seemed intrigued.

"I see. Anyway, like you said, nothing seems to be wrong with you. Physically at least. Mentally, I'm not too sure. You might experience some trauma, so I suggest that you take the rest of the day and tomorrow off." Then he grinned, amusement on his face. "It's not really a suggestion. Doctor's orders." He told me, and I couldn't help but smile along with him and nod.

"I've prescribed some medication to help with the headache which I _know _you will experience eventually. The nurse will give it to you." He explained and I hopped off the bed, eager to leave.

"Do you have anyone to drive you home? We couldn't get in contact with your aunt." He asked, not really paying attention to me anymore, instead back to my patient chart.

"She's not here. She'll be back in a few days though." I said and he nodded.

"Edward will take you home then." Carlisle said, and just then I was aware of the presence standing next to me, and felt the hand on the small of my back. I gave him a confused look but he ignored me.

"Thank you." I replied, brushing a few strands of my hair from my face, and tugging on my beanie. And then I remembered something very important so I turned to Tyler.

"Um, Tyler, you live with your Grandmother right?" I asked him, unsure. He looked confused at my question, along with the two Cullens in the room, judging from their interested stares.

"Yeah I do. Why?" He asked. I played with my gloved fingers for a bit before replying.

"I need her help with something. And I'm pretty sure she's the only one who can help me." I answered. He nodded in acceptance, probably thinking it was something to do with 'girl stuff'.

"Oh sure, you can talk to her outside. She's filling in some documents in the reception." Tyler told me and I thanked him graciously before taking my leave, Edward close behind. Literally. He still had his hand on my back.

"What did you need with Tyler's Grandmother?" He asked me when we boarded the elevator. I shrugged nonchalantly and played with the bush I called hair.

"Nothing too important." Was my reply. He regarded me suspiciously but let it drop. When the elevator doors opened I immediately caught sight of the woman standing at the counter along with the receptionist, and from his brown skin, I knew that she was Tyler's Grandmother. I hesitantly walked forward and lightly tapped her shoulder. She turned around and when she caught sight of me, smiled kindly.

"Hello young Lady. How can I help you?" She asked, and I smiled widely when I heard her accent. She was from Western Africa. I felt ten times more confident in what I was going to ask.

"_Bonjour Mama. __Etes-vous__ la grand-mere de Tyler? "_ I asked her. She smiled so widely that I was scared that her cheeks might spread open. Edward on the other hand was so surprised that I could feel it.

"_Oui. Comment puis-je vous aider?" _She replied, her French deeply tainted with her African accent. I took off my beanie and motioned to my hair. Judging by her immediately changing expression of one of comprehension she understood what I wanted.

"_Um,_ _je sais que c'est un peu impoli de vous poser cette question quand je ne vous le savez mais vous êtes le seul que je peux demander. Je me demandais si vous pouviez s'il vous plaît tresse mes cheveux?_" She nodded and motioned with her calloused hand for me to come closer.

Her fingers probed my hair and observed my scalp with practiced ease of someone who had done it many times. She was gentle but firm with it, and I knew I had made a good decision. The receptionist and Edward were staring at us with rapt fascination and I laughed a bit.

"_Oui, je peu. C'est demain ok?" _She asked and I nodded immediately. After going into a bit more detail, I gave her a hug, thanked her humbly and was on my way, beanie back in place.

"You speak French?" Edward asked when we were situated in his Volvo. It was a nice car I noticed. With its black leather interior, wooden dashboard and many fancy buttons. It had nothing on my baby though…Or maybe I was just biased.

"Mhmm…"I answered casually, looking out the window as we checked out the toll gate of the hospital and headed out.

"Which other languages do you speak?" He asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic, German. I also speak Tolkien Elvish but that's not really considered a language." I told him, grinning humorously. Edward seemed shocked by my admission and didn't reply immediately, instead his eyebrows furrowed.

"Where did you learn them all?" He asked, shock in his voice. I shrugged and tapped my fingers on the door handle.

"I move around a lot." Was my nonchalant reply. I took a look at the speedometer and rolled my eyes.

Over 80MPH. Typical.

I didn't mind the speed of course, I trusted him, and I loved driving fast.

"So much that you are fluent in seven languages?" Edward asked, giving me an incredulous look. This time I did roll my eyes and tapped my head.

"IQ over two-hundred remember?" I asked but then I took one look at his surprised expression and realized that no, he had not been there when I was forced to take the test.

"Whoops." I mumbled, knowing perfectly well he heard me. Edward gave me a look, as if it was the first time he had ever truly seen me and I looked away, avoiding his gaze.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again.

"You never answered my question." He stated, when we had stopped at a traffic light, where there was a lot of traffic. I pretended I was oblivious and made a confused face.

"Which one?" I asked. Edward made a frustrated sound and I had to hide my amused smile.

"You know perfectly well which one." He replied, sounding irritated. I didn't blame him. Coupled with my feigned obliviousness and slow moving cars, I would be annoyed too.

I kept quiet for a moment and sighed.

"Why does it matter? It's just a phone." I asked. He made an angry sound under his breath and abruptly moved to another lane. The slightly faster moving one. It was a big mistake, for it just ended up being slower than the last.

Who knew Forks had so much traffic?

"If it's just a phone, why are you being so secretive about it, Arsinoё?" He asked pointedly.

"Everyone has their secrets Edward." Was my flippant answer. I was getting annoyed. Very annoyed.

To this, he had no answer so we remained in silence for a few minutes until I sighed and asked him the one question which I knew was going to make the situation one-hundred times worse.

"…How did you get to me so fast?" I asked him. I knew the answer. I knew it better than he thought I did too. But if our relationship were to progress any further, I needed to pretend I didn't. I almost regretted asking it though, looking at the dark expression he shot me.

"What do you mean? I was right next to you." He said, trying to convince me. It sounded like he was pleading more for me to believe him. Tch, not gonna happen.

"Tch. Yeah right." I answered, crossing my arms angrily. "You were across the lot. I saw you. Heck, I even smiled at you. I'm not stupid Edward. Don't treat me as if I am." I snapped. I was already annoyed from our previous argument. I didn't need any more shit from him.

Luckily (or unluckily maybe) the traffic started moving again, and Edward seemed to take out his frustration on the accelerator.

"Can't you just say thank you and leave it alone?" He growled, turning onto my street sharply. If I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, I would have slammed into the door.

"I won't leave it alone. But I will say thank you…Look Edward, I'm not gonna tell anyone if that's what you're worried about. But I should at least know what I'm lying to everyone for." I told him, calming down a tad as he parked in my driveway. Vaguely, I wondered how he knew where I lived, but then I shrugged it off. He was a stalker, why was I surprised?

"You won't leave it alone will you?" He snapped angrily, glaring at me, fingers firmly clenched around the steering wheel. I glared just as fiercely and shook my head.

"No, I won't." I answered stubbornly. If looks could kill, I would most probably be six feet under with the murderous expression he was shooting me. I was a tad bit worried though, cause he was a vampire and all. I squared my shoulders and remained calm.

"Then I hope you're ready for disappointment." He spat and I recoiled. The venom in his voice made me do a double take. _Jeez_…

"Fuck you Edward." I hissed angrily before I grabbed my backpack at my feet (I don't remember having it) and got out the car, slamming the door with as much force as I could. And that was a lot of force right there.

I hadn't even made it to the front door when I heard the engine rev up just as angrily and saw him drive away.

"Ugh, stupid vampire." I said to myself before entering the house.

Then something occurred to me.

_How the hell was I going to get my car back?!_

* * *

At around six that evening, just as I was getting started on dinner, the doorbell rang. I sighed and put down the tomatoes I was getting out the fridge. Heading to the door, I made sure I looked presentable (even if I was wearing booty shorts and a tank, along with an apron) and opened the door.

"Esme!" I exclaimed, surprised when I saw the caramel haired woman standing there with a cake dish in her hands. An elegant silver Mercedes was parked in the drive behind her and I inwardly whistled. It was beautiful.

"Good evening Arsinoё. I heard what happened and I've come to see if you were alright." She said kindly, though she sounded concerned. I smiled thankfully at her consideration and ushered her inside.

"Oh thank you. There was no need though. It was nothing serious. Plus if your son hadn't been there, it could have been much worse." I said while I took her coat and hung it on the rack. I saw her examine every inch of the house with blatant curiosity and smiled inwardly.

"You have a lovely home." She told me, and I could tell she was being sincere.

"Thank. My aunt did all the decoration, but enough of that. Let's go to the kitchen. That must be heavy." I said smiling and she nodded and followed after me. I took the dish from her as soon as we entered and placed it on the counter before offering her a seat on one of the stools.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked her, knowing perfectly well that no, she would not. It was the polite thing to do.

"No thank you, I'm fine. I've just eaten." I nodded and lifted the lid of the plate. To my immense surprise (and joy) a warm Apple Crumble was sitting there, tastefully decorated with brown apple slices and cinnamon. It smelled wonderful.

"Well, at least I know that dinner is sorted out." I told her, grinning brightly. She laughed, the sound of bells filling the room.

"I remember you told me it was your favorite. I baked it just for you. Emmett kept trying to steal a few bites." She said chuckling and smiling brightly.

"I wouldn't be surprised. It looks delicious Esme. Thank you." I expressed sincerely but she just waved me off.

"Really, it's a pleasure. I love baking." She said to me. I was sure she didn't get to do it often, with the way her family didn't eat human food. I went to the freezer and pulled out a tub of freshly bought vanilla ice-cream (I had got it the previous day when I first met Esme) and got a fork from the drawer. Then I pulled up a stool next to hers and dug in. I didn't care that it was rude that I didn't even dish it out on a plate. I was too eager to devour it. She laughed at my antics.

"Its very yummy. You could give Martha Stewart a run for her money I'm sure." I complimented and the woman next to me laughed bashfully.

"You flatter me Arsinoё." And then just as I was about to shove another ice-cream doused forkful into my mouth, she gently took hold of my hand and brought it towards her.

"I love your nails. How did you do them?" She asked, amazement in her voice. Once more I had been complimented on the marble art. I smiled and put the fork down before covering the tart and ice cream.

"It's very easy. As a thank you present, let me do it for you." I told her, standing up and not giving her a choice in the matter.

"I don't want to trouble you…"She replied, though I could tell she was eager. I brushed her off with a flick of my wrist.

"It's no bother. Come on, we'll do it upstairs." I said and led her up the stairs to my bedroom. Like all the other rooms in the house, she was very curious when she walked into it.

"Take off your shoes and place them by the door. You can sit anywhere you like." I said before making my way to the bathroom and leaving her there.

I gathered my nail polish bowl (the one I used to mix and match colors. It had been in the wardrobe along with my other things) and five different colors of polish. I also got the silo tape and filled the bowl with water half way.

When I entered the bedroom again, I found Esme giddily bouncing on the bed with a pillow on her chest, but she seemed embarrassed at being caught. I smirk in amusement. It didn't matter that she was a vampire, at heart, she was still on twenty-four years old. She had a right to be carefree and playful.

After spreading paper on the bed, I placed the bowl of water on it along with the nail polish and other materials. She seemed intrigued and crawled closer to see what I was going to do.

"Okay. It's really simple. As you can see, all you need is a bowl of water, a toothpick, some scotch tape, and nail polish. I hope you like the colors I picked. I chose them because they go with your color palette." I explained. I had picked red, orange, blue, yellow, pink and purple. There was also the white to act as a base.

"Yes, they're perfect." Esme said to me and sat cross legged across from me. She was wearing a lovely lavender tunic with intricate designs and black leggings. I guess we were lucky she wasn't wearing a dress.

"Firstly we paint the nails white. It acts as a base and help's the colors pop up more." I started, and gestured for her to give me her left hand. Like every part of her, her hands were beautiful, with slim fingers and perfectly shaped long feminine nails. I felt a cloud of envy in the back of my mind. People had always complimented me on my hands but I couldn't hold a candle to her.

I opened the white bottle and held it straight between my feet and started to paint her nails the white color. A few seconds of silence passed between us before Esme spoke up hesitantly.

"Arsinoё, I must confess." She told me, and I raised an eyebrow in question, looking up briefly.

"Hmm?" I asked, making sure I didn't make a mess on her finger.

"Well, you see, my family and I move around a lot with my husband being a doctor and all. We never really get time to settle before we have to up and leave again." She hesitated and bit her lip and I was shocked. _THE _Esme Cullen was acting nervous around me?! Woah!

"Well, because of this, you are the first friend I've had in a very long time. I have never really had the chance to bond with another female on the friendship level. My days consist of being a mother and taking care of my family so I don't have time to socialize very much. It means a lot to me that even though I am many years older than you and most probably what you would consider an old woman, you're still giving me a chance. I promise you won't regret it." She finished, sincerely. I on the other hand was shocked. That confession was the last thing I had ever considered coming out of her mouth.

But then I really thought about what she said and realized how lonely she must've been.

Esme Cullen had been a vampire for over ninety years, and had been alive for over a hundred. Though throughout all of that, she had most probably never really had a true friend. She lived during a time when the most important thing was social status. During those times it was common to betray your so called 'friends' in order to reach higher on the social ladder. Poor Esme probably had to deal with that and constantly be weary of who she hung out with. And then she went through the whole depression episode and when things finally started looking up for her, she had lost her little boy.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

After she met Carlisle and got the rest of the Cullen family and though she loved them, it wasn't the most riveting thing in the world being a house wife for the rest of your life. Worst part is, she was a vampire house wife, so she didn't even need to cook or do anything to occupy her time!

Dayum, this woman must have been bored. No wonder she was so unsure and eager for friendship.

"Esme, I know I won't regret it. I wouldn't even think about it. In truth, you're also the only friend I've ever had. I don't mesh with the 'in-crowd.'" I told her, finishing up with the second hand. "I'm really glad I met you, and I too treasure our friendship. Even if I've only known you for two days. I hope it will last for many years to come?" I said it more like a question than a statement, I was unsure but she smiled reassuringly.

"I hope so too." She said smiling softly.

* * *

_**HELLO THERE PEOPLE! HOW ARE YOU?**_

_**Lol, so, here's the fourth chapter, hope you like it. It wasn't easy writing it. I expect a lot of reviews for my effort;)**_

_**Actually, thanks to all those who took the time to review, I really appriciate it. I try to reply to all my reviewers but if I missed you, then tell me and I'll holla. **_

_**Erm, there was one reviewer though, but I couldn't reply because they didn't have an account. In reply to your question (you know who you are);**_

_**YES! I DO HATE ISABELLA MARIE SWAN! I HATE HER SOOOOO MUCH THAT I CAN'T EVEN PUT IT INTO WORDS. I FIND HER STUPID, WEAK, SHALLOW, USELESS, ANNOYING, SELFISH, AND CLOSE MINDED AND SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY OTHER THINGS. SHE'S SO SELFISH! ALL SHE FREAKING CARES ABOUT IS BEING CHANGED INTO A VAMPIRE. SHE PLAYS WITH OTHER PEOPLES EMOTIONS AND DOESNT CARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES. SHE DOESNT EVEN LOVE EDWARD! ALL SHE CARES ABOUT IS HIS STUPID 'PERFECTION'. SHE DOESN'T SEE HIS FLAWS, HIS DEEP MENTAL WOUNDS, NADA! AND THE ONE TIME HE DID TRY AND TELL HER BEFORE THE WEDDING, SHE DIDN'T CARE AND WAS ALL LIKE "JUST FORGET ABOUT IT. IT WAS IN THE PAST." LIKE DA FUCK? JOH...I HATE HER SO BADLY!**_

_**Although, I try to tone down my hatred of her just a tad because I don't want to be **_**too_ biased and stuff. If anyone has a problem with my open dislike of Isabella Swan, well, there's nothing I can really do about it. If you hate her just as much as I do, tell me so we can bond over our mutual hatred of her :)_**

**_A free Edward plushie to the first person who can guess what the conversation in French was about!_**

**_Lol, lots of love. _**

**_Blue._**

**_Don't forget to review ;)_**


	5. Chapter 5

_Playlist:_

_Summertime Sadness-Lana Del Rey_

_It was on repeat :p_

* * *

A month passed.

A whole freaking month passed and he didn't say one word to me. I mean sure I had been warned about it in the books but maybe for some reason I had thought that he would be different with me. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. Nonetheless, I was wrong in my assumption and was promptly and efficiently ignored. He ignored me so bad even, that when I sat with him, I began to doubt my own existence. Like, Bella hadn't described how awkward and frustrating it was properly. It was absolutely horrible. Anyway, after about two weeks of his behavior, I was like "Fine. Be like that." And proceeded to ignore him to. It was a tense forty-five minutes of Biology let me tell you that, to the point that even our teacher picked up on it and gave us curious looks whenever we wouldn't even look at each other during a 'paired' assignment. Luckily, he didn't comment because as long as we got the work done properly, he didn't really care.

Lunch was much the same too. Edward didn't look at me, nor I at him. Eventually, I just forgot about him.

_Okay…_So that was a lie. It's kinda impossible to _not_ look at the Cullens. Especially Edward Cullen. But I was kind of successful in my endeavor so I was pretty proud of myself. But like I promised him, I didn't tell anyone the truth about the accident and stuck with the lie of him standing right next to me and pulling me away. They believed me of course (I was a damn good liar when I chose to be) but I did wonder why no one had seen him standing by his car. Even Angela, who had been with me at the time. Talking about Angela, as soon as I was back at school she had thanked me excessively for saving her life and pushing her out the way, and had apologized that she had spaced out during the incident. I had said it was alright and was just glad she was safe, though, much to my dismay, she had baked me a batch of Red Velvet cupcakes as a gift. I ate most of them on the spot because really, who was I to decline free food?

All that aside though, I was kind of a loner during that time, not that I minded of course. I avoided everyone by making excuses about having to go to the library for extra credit stuff. They agreed without a fuss most times, but I occasionally thought I saw Angela giving me curious looks once in a while.

Plans were made to go to beach, as expected and I was invited, which was also expected. I declined though. Not because of the Quileute's, but because I didn't really like going to the beach with too many people. In fact, I preferred going alone. Most times in the evening to watch the sunset. Sometimes, Lucianna would come with me and we would dance around a fire and watch the stars when the tide was low. That's another thing that got me down during that month. I missed my best friend. Even if she _was_ the cause of this whole mess (at least I think so). She was my only friend too, and we were really close. I didn't have someone to talk to or make perverted jokes with anymore…I missed her.

Anyway, after the accident, I went over to Tyler's grandmother's place and we bonded over our mutual love of home while she did my hair. I found out that she was from Ivory Coast and had immigrated to the states many years previous for a 'better life'. I told her some of my own past, where I was from and the like. Then she pleasantly surprised me with a bowl of freshly fried Plantain which I hadn't had in years. I had fun and she did an excellent job with my hair. It was thinly braided and oiled properly. She had given me lots of natural products to take care of my hair and told me I was welcome to come back anytime. She was really nice to me and had apologized about Tyler almost hitting me with a van as well.

Tyler…_Eish__…_That dude. He had become so _annoying_. He had been following me around for the whole flipping month, waiting on my beck and call. It was fun at first, having a slave –I mean _helper_ but after that it got annoying. I tried and tried to convince him that there was no need for him to do it but he insisted. Funnily enough, Mike and Eric ended up deeming him a 'rival' for my affections too, which I found hilarious. I let them fight over me in peace. I didn't want to get involved.

The dance was also coming up too and everyone was excited for it. I wasn't. I had no plans to attend. Why, you ask? Well, because I _really _was going to Seattle that day. I was supposed to go to lunch with Aunty Zaho and one of her Models from Japan or something. I can't remember the details exactly but apparently the chick had just been scouted and was new to the States, Aunty decided that it would be good if she had a friend to talk to so I was kind of the only option because I was around her age _and _spoke her language.

I also needed to buy a bunch of things; such as a PlayStation 2 (it had just been released in this time), a phone (my Galaxy just wasn't cutting it for everyday use) and most importantly, a laptop. An IPad was all well and good but I couldn't use it in public, nor could I watch my Anime on it. And I _needed _to watch my Anime; I was beginning to suffer from withdrawals. It only got worse when I found my USB collection which had all my movies, music and Anime. And let me tell you, I had plenty of those little sticks dedicated to my obsession.

I vaguely wondered how Edward would react when he found out I was more in love with Uchiha Itachi than I was with him…

Eh, I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

* * *

That morning I woke up pretty sluggishly (playing Candy Crush all night does that to you) and took my time in getting ready. I washed slower than a snail ever could, brushed my teeth using all the time in the world and was just plain _slow_. Even eating breakfast was a chill event, to the point that I even had a second bowl of Coco Pops. Nina gave me a pointed look when she saw me do that but didn't comment. Her eyes said enough. "You and me are going to have a workout session soon" they said. I huffed and ignored her but inwardly I was dreading it. Nina used to be my aunt's bodyguard and was a master in all things self-defense. Judo included. She was actually the one who taught me most of it. That woman was brutal, yo. Like, a session with her was worse than being sent through a meat grinder. I just say that the potential criminals were lucky she had retired some years ago, they didn't know their luck.

She was right though, during my month and a half in this world, I hadn't lifted a finger, and my previously toned stomach was starting to get squishy. Though it _was _fun poking it…

I left for school in a hurry after that and made it just before the bell rang to signal the start of it. The morning passed quickly, though I was surprised to see Jessica looking like her puppy had just died during lunch. Maybe Mike had declined her invitation to the dance in three weeks. She had called me the previous night to ask me if it was okay if she could ask him. I easily reassured her that it was no problem and that I wouldn't even be attending. She had tried (unconvincingly at that) to get me to come but me being me, just told her no in the bluntest voice I could muster. Anyway, I'm pretty sure that Mike said no, and judging from how they were sitting on complete opposite sides of the table, and how she was chatting up Eric, I was correct in my assumption. I think her goal was to make him jealous, but Mike was silent all through lunch, and even more so when he walked me to Biology. The look of discomfort on his face was a bad sign but for the life of me, I couldn't remember why…It probably wasn't important anyway. He didn't talk to me at all, but instead perched himself on my desk waiting for class to start. I ignored him (while Edward ignored us _both_) and instead bided my time by wondering about what would happen if I tried to stab my seating companion…The knife would probably just bend or break, but it interested me and I vowed to find out one day.

"So," Mike started rather loudly, startling me from my musings. Much to my surprise, he was still sitting on the table. I raised an eyebrow at him. I hoped he wasn't planning on doing what I thought he was planning on doing.

"Jessica asked me to the spring dance today." He said nervously. I nodded in acceptance.

"Good for you then." Was my bored reply. I had no qualms of shutting him down like I did all the others who had asked me. I saw Edward tilt his head slightly in our direction, obviously paying attention to our conversation. I rolled my eyes subtly. The Douche.

"Well," He floundered for a response after seeing my deadpan expression. He had clearly not been expecting my response and must've come to the conclusion that I was rejecting him –which I was. It was good to see that he wasn't so thickheaded that he didn't pick up on it. "I told her I would think about it."

I paused in my tapping of my pen against my notebook and leveled him with a blank stare, which made him shrink away.

"Can I just ask why you are telling me this?" I asked him. I saw Edward smirk a bit but it was too subtle to be noticeable, I only did because I was ten times more in tune with his queues than most people. Came with the territory. Anyway, if all was going correctly, and I remembered properly, he was probably inwardly pleased that I was rejecting poor Mike. I knew I was being harsh in my actions, but Edward aside, I was kinda fed up with Mike's insistent advances and hopefully, me being a bitch would get him to stop.

Mike turned red as a tomato and looked down. I immediately felt pity. Poor thing, I knew what it was like to have an unrequited crush. It hurt.

"I was, well…um…I was wondering if, if you might be planning on asking me." He stammered out nervously. Ugh man no, the poor thing looked like a little puppy. Edward (the sexy jackass that he is) let out a small cough so quiet that I almost didn't hear it. He was probably laughing on the inside, along with seething with jealousy.

"Mike…" I said somewhat guiltily, "I think you should tell her yes."

"Did you already ask someone?" I really hoped that Edward would be courteous enough to at least pretend that Mike's eyes hadn't flickered to him in that instant. I felt the guilt being replaced by annoyance.

"No." I assured him, noticing how my lab partner's head tilted a bit more to hear my reasoning. "I'm not going."

"Why not?" Mike all but demanded.

"I'm getting married that day. We're headed to court so we can sign the papers." I said, deathly serious. And judging by both their faces, they believed me. _Lawl,_ their reactions killed me. Inwardly I was dying of laughter but outwardly, I fought the grin on my face and kept my serious expression. Mike's jaw had dropped open widely and he was stammering out nonsensical nonsense, whilst Edward had actually dented the metal of his seat from squeezing it so hard. I was actually, truly surprised at how much raw fury was in his eyes, and I felt slightly flattered that he cared so much.

"W-what?!" Mike asked in disbelief, but I couldn't take it anymore and proceeded to burst into peals of laughter. The few students in the room looked at me weirdly but I ignored them, wiping a tear from my eye.

"Lol, your face was all like "…_What?". _'Killed me dude... Killed me." I stated, my laughter dying down into chuckles. They both relaxed noticeably though Edward looked annoyed.

"Ahem," I coughed, "but on a serious note. I'm not going because I have to be in Seattle that day." I said. Mike looked relieved and I suppose to him, anything was better than my previous declaration.

"Can't you go another day?" He asked and I shook my head.

"Nope." I said, popping the 'P'. He sagged and I smiled at him, trying to cheer him up a bit. I felt surprisingly guilty, and I guess because I had grown a little fond of him. He was like my own pet, ya know?

"You shouldn't make Jessica wait any longer. It's rude." I said, and he nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, you're right." I winced at his crestfallen tone, looking away guilty as he trudged to his seat. Mr. Banner had just walked in when I opened my notebook and quickly wrote the date. I sighed and looked up.

Edward Cullen was staring at me curiously, that same familiar look of frustration in his now black eyes. I wasn't so surprised, as defiant and I stared back at him expectantly, raising an eyebrow. He must've taken it as a challenge, because he didn't look away, instead just stared harder. I wouldn't cave, and I gripped my pen tighter.

"Mr. Cullen?" the teacher called, waiting for the answer to his question.

"The Krebs Cycle." As predicted, Edward replied with the same line he used in the book. It was correct, of course.

I huffed in annoyance, rolled my eyes and looked away. I didn't have the patience for him today. In my irritation, when I wrote my notes, I just didn't feel comfortable writing with my right hand that day. Maybe it was my pen or something, but I growled lowly and switched hands easily, causing me to notice Edward raise his eyebrows for some reason. I wondered what he was thinking about to cause such an open reaction.

I was relieved when the bell rang, eager to escape such douchbagginess and expecting said douchbag to just flee like normal, but I was surprised to see him watching me gather my things. Oh, so today was the day he would talk to me again. Yippee. Okay, I should be happy, ecstatic even because I had worked hard for it to get to this point but I just wasn't in the mood at that moment. I was annoyed with him and I wasn't entirely too sure as to why, but nevertheless, I was.

"Arsinoё?" His voice shouldn't have made me want to drop my panties right then and there. No, it shouldn't have. I worked hard to fight to keep my annoyance intact and shot him a look of disdain.

"Is Edward Stick-up-his-ass Cullen actually talking to _me?" _I gasped, feigning surprise. Much to my satisfaction, I had managed to sneak in an insult, which he had caught too, judging by the slight smirk of amusement on his face. Welp that just ruined it. He was supposed to be offended. The motherfucker. Annoyance at my insult being completely disregarded surfaced and I snarled at him.

"No, not really." He answered, fighting a smile.

"Bastard." I said, flipping him the bird and walking away. As much as I loved him (and I did, I really did) I just _really_ didn't want to deal with his smart-ass replies. I heard a soft laugh and soon footsteps chasing after me, but I didn't stop until he grabbed my hand just as I made it out the classroom door.

I sighed heavily and looked at him expectantly, "Can I help you, you highness?" I asked even though I knew what he wanted, he was going to apologize and shit.

"I'm sorry." See? Though, my expression softened when I heard the sincerity and seriousness of it. I cursed inwardly and berated myself; I was such a sucker…Er that came out wrong.

"I'm being very rude, I know. But trust me, it's better this way." He stated gravely and I blatantly rolled my eyes at him and snatched my hand away. He let go.

"Elaborate." I stated, putting a hand on my hip, holding my stuff in my other arm. Now he was going to go on about how we shouldn't be friends, and then I was supposed to go on about how he should've just let the truck crush me and the he would get a dark look on his face and ask me the next question in the dialogue and just _ugh!_

"We shouldn't be friends." He said predictably. Luckily for the both of us, I was very _un_predictable. So instead with replying the same way Bella would have, I hurled something completely random out there.

"Did you know that Jellyfish are mostly made up of water?" I asked pleasantly. Edward looked startled and I grinned, amused. I was tired of being annoyed. I didn't want to fight with him.

"Pardon me?" He asked in surprise, not expecting it. I nodded and scratched my cheek innocently.

"Mmmhmm…They are. Can you imagine that? What would happen if you poked them? Would they like, burst or something? They're just like globs of water floating around the ocean." I mused. And I was actually being genuine, I had always wondered about that and it had been a topic of great interest to me. Edward on the other hand was shocked into silence from my randomness and my grin became wider.

"Yeap, it's true." I said honestly, before shaking my head bemusedly. "You learn something new every day, huh?" I asked, before patting his shoulder fondly and walking away for Gym and when I looked back, he was still staring flabbergasted.

I laughed loudly and turned the corner, leaving him standing there.

* * *

The next day, I decided to go to school dressed to impress. And I really was aiming to impress.

Why?

Because today was the day that I would get to hang out with Eddie-kun! Squeeeaaal!

Okay, stop squealing.

Anyway, yeah, according to the timeline, today would be the day that Edward would ask to accompany me to Seattle and then he would sit with me at lunch. I knew this because it was the day after the traffic jam (the incident in which he made us all wait for like fifteen minutes just so that Tyler could ask me to the dance. I was still pretty annoyed by it.) was supposed to be the day that he would be more laid back and carefree. So because of this, I decided to be even _awesomer_ that day. Yes, I know it was probably impossible to be even more awesome than I already was but you know me, I always accomplish _the impossible. _Dum, dum, dum!

Okay, okay, I needed to calm down. I was just so excited. It would be the next major step in our relationship. After who knows how long, it was kind of a relief to look forward to something pleasant.

I showered, brushed my teeth, did my make up (just some eyeliner and mascara) and my hair pretty quickly. The nice thing about having my hair braided was that I didn't have to comb it, so I just put in up into a high pony tail and let a few strands fall out.

Then I stared into my closet for a few minutes before deciding on a pair of black skinny jeans, a matching colored elbow length boyfriend shirt, and my favorite maroon suede five-inch thick wooden heels with black laces in the front. I also wore my grey Edward coat and my black suede gloves, just because they looked good.

When I went downstairs, Aunt Zaho paused in her perusal of the latest Vogue issue to give me a once over and raised an eyebrow.

"You look good." She remarked casually, and Nina nodded in affirmation. I smiled brightly and said a chirpy "Thank you!" causing her eyebrow to rise even higher.

"So, who're you trying to impress?" She asked bluntly and I laughed, leave it to her to find out. Nina placed a bowl of fruit salad in front of me and I smiled gratefully.

"Edward Cullen." I stated before eagerly eating a piece of delicious looking mango and sighing in pure bliss.

"Cullen?" She asked in surprise, the cup of tea pausing halfway to her lips. "Ooh, my dear, I always knew you would aim high. I'm so proud!" She exclaimed happily and I rolled my eyes.

"We're not even dating yet aunty." I told her, and she shook her head.

"Psh, it better be soon then. They have even more money than I do. They have more money than your father even!" I nodded in agreement. Even Papa, with all his money couldn't hold a candle to the beautiful and rich Vampire coven.

"Also, they're a good family. Big in the stock markets. Hussein would approve." She told me matter-of-factly.

"Hah! Pa? Never!" I scoffed; my father didn't even want me within ten feet of the male species. My aunt shook her head and pointed a perfectly manicured finger in my direction.

"I want to meet him soon." She declared and Nina chuckled at her behavior. The nice thing about my aunt was that she was still young, not even thirty-five yet, so she wasn't boring and strict. She understood.

"He'll be coming with me to Seattle." I informed her. Okay, so technically he hadn't agreed _yet_ but he would. So why not tell her?

"Oh, wonderful. He'll join us for lunch then." She stated and I shook my head bemusedly. If only she knew…

"I suppose. I have to go, 'else I'll be late. Will I see you when I come back?" I asked, hoping she would say no.

"Sorry, I won't be here. I'm going to Seattle. The new store is almost ready and I need to go supervise. I'll be back by nine though." She explained and I nodded.

"Alright then. See you. Bye Nina."

"See you later, Noё." Nina replied waving before I grabbed my keys and headed out.

I drove to school faster than usual (I was a fast driver by normal standards but today I was excited) and arrived in less than fifteen minutes. Another thing which helped my good mood was rapping to Stupid Hoe by Nicki Minaj. I didn't even mess up once.

Like always, I unplugged my phone, stashed it in my pocket and put in my green and black Skull Candy headphones before getting out the car with my backpack, but as I was locking my baby –she was looking especially shiny today- I dropped my keys. I bent down quickly to retrieve them, but a flash of white caught them before they hit the floor.

I jerked upright to see Edward next to me, leaning casually against my RR, nonchalantly examining my diamond keychain.

"How do you _do_ that?" I asked irritably. No, I wasn't referring to his speed, but instead the ability to look more and more gorgeous with each day. Today, he was wearing a pair of light grey jeans tucked into black laced calf-length combat boots, a slightly darker grey shirt and a light looking black jacket on top. His hair of course, looked windswept like every other day and he had a smirk on which would make every woman (and man) turn into a puddle of goo.

Every eye turned to us, and I'd like to think it was because we made such a great looking couple or something. He looked good, I looked good (sadly not _as_ good)…_obviously_, we should get married.

"Do what?" He asked innocently, taking my hand and dropping the key in it. I was happy to note that he was willing to at least touch me…But _maybe _it was only because I had gloves on, so I couldn't feel his cold temperature.

"Just 'appear' out of thin air." I said, adding the quotation marks with my fingers. His smirk grew, revealing his sharp and blindingly white teeth. Suddenly, I was very happy I had chewed a breath mint on my way here.

"Arsinoё, it is not my fault that you are exceptionally unobservant." He stated, but his voice was soft as usual, like liquid chocolate and honey, but muted.

Is it possible to be sexually attracted to a voice?

I scowled at his irresistibleness, when I noticed his eyes were now the very light butterscotch which made him look even better, if that was possible.

"Why the traffic jam yesterday?" I asked, changing the subject. I knew why of course, I just needed to hear it from him. "I thought you were determined to ignore me out of existence. Not annoy me." I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the driver's door.

"That was for Tyler's sake, not mine. I had to give him his chance." He told me, amusement evident on his handsome face.

"Because of you, now he thinks he's taking me to Prom." I growled, and I was genuinely irritated for that one, but Edward's chuckle made quick work of that.

"I see. Though, I'm not ignoring you." He stated. I rolled my eyes.

"So are you _trying_ to irritate me to death?" I questioned, exasperated. But on the inside I was grinning from ear to ear. I was enjoying myself.

"You are utterly absurd." His voice was back to its startling cold, but I wasn't fazed, I had heard it before. I rolled my eyes –again and this time turned on my heel and walked away. He called out to me and easily kept pace.

"I apologise, that was rude." He said as he walked next to me. I didn't answer. "I'm not saying it wasn't true, but nonetheless, it was rude to say anyway."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" I grumbled. '_Please don't leave me alone'…_Was what I was really thinking.

"My intention was to ask you something, but you sidetracked me." He chuckled. Apparently, he was in a good mood again.

Maybe he's bipolar?

I voiced the question and he laughed, making me smile along with him. It was infectious.

"See? You're doing it again." He pointed out, still grinning and I sighed, shaking my head.

"Excuse me then. What was it you wanted to ask?" I queried, raising an eyebrow. This was it; this was when he was going to ask it! The next major step! Yes!

"I was wondering if, a week from Sunday –You know the day of the spring dance-"But I cut him off.

"I'm a black belt in Judo." I stated threateningly. I knew he wasn't asking me, but I just wanted to lay it out there anyway. He seemed exasperated, and slightly surprised.

"Would you kindly let me finish?" He huffed and I nodded.

"Fine."

"I heard you were going to Seattle that day and I was wondering if you wanted a ride?" He asked. I blinked.

"What?" I asked in confusion. I was pretty dazed, his face had been looking really good and I had zoned out.

"Do you want a ride to Seattle?" He asked again.

"With who?" I couldn't help but ask. I just needed to make sure…

"Myself, _obviously._" Edward enunciated every syllable as if he were talking to someone mentally handicapped.

"Why?" And I needed to know, because unlike Bella, I had a brand-new, top of the line Range Rover which could actually go _over_ sixty. What would his excuse be this time?

"Well to be honest, I was planning on going to Seattle in the near future and I suppose this was the best option. Why not go together and save on gas?" He asked, and it was a logical response.

"I don't see how that's important Edward." I said, using his name and loving the way it rolled off my tongue.

"The wasting of finite resources is very important Arsinoё." And I _lurved _the way my own name rolled of his.

"Honestly dude, I can't keep up with you. I thought you didn't want to be my friend." I said to him, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head.

"I said that it would be better if weren't, not that I didn't want to be." He explained and I rolled my eyes.

I do that way too much.

"Oh, okay, now that that's all cleared up…"My voice was dripping in sarcasm.

"It would be more…_prudent_ for you not to be my friend," he clarified. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you Arsinoё." His eyes were superbly intense now, making my heart stop momentarily as I stared into them, but I caught myself quickly and sighed heavily.

"We'd have to take my car." I stated and was amused to see his eyes light up, eagerness shining through.

"Not a problem, I've wanted to drive it for a while." He stated and I gave him a pointed look. He automatically assumed that he would drive. Typical.

"And I play my music loudly…" I warned, reading his expression.

"I'm curious about your taste in music. It's interesting, from the bits I hear." He spoke and I shook my head in resignation.

"Alrighty then." I acquiesced finally. I wasn't going to say no in the first place, but I didn't want to look eager either.

He smiled once more, making my chest want to explode and nodded, a smug smirk forming on his face.

"You really should stay away from me." He stated and just like that, walked away from me, seconds before the bell rang.

_Sigh_...I just loved his sexy self.

* * *

**_Hello there people! Here I am again with another installment of Chasing Pavements! _**

**_Hope you like it!_**

**_I want to say thanks to all those who took the time to review the chapter and also tell me that they hated Bella too, its nice to know I'm not the only one :) _**

**_BUT! Just because you reviewed the previous chappie, doesn't meant you shouldn't review this one! _**

**_Congrats to _**_silentmayhem! **You were the first to get right! And you didn't even use Google! You win! Be sure to squeeze the plushie extra hard for all of us!**__  
_

**_Lots of love!_**

**_Blue! _**


	6. Chapter 6

_Playlist: _

_Give your heart a break- Demi Lovato_

_Rocketeer- FarEast Movement feat Ryan Tedder_

* * *

I was still out of it when I finally arrived in class. My history teacher gave me an annoyed look when I rudely interrupted him with my entrance but I simply shrugged and sat down. Like always, I was faced with a bunch of glares from the older kids but I ignored them. What really surprised me was the curious look I received from Jasper. I didn't know what to make of it. I had been in his class for almost a whole month but not once had he even spared me a glance. Now all of a sudden her was suddenly interested? Honestly, if I hadn't spoken to his brother, I'm pretty sure he would've continued to ignore me. The teacher prattled on about the Revolution and before I knew it, class was over. Like always, Mike and Eric were waiting for me outside of class in the hallway (they apparently didn't care that I was now a senior) and walked me to my next class. He talked in earnest about how he couldn't wait for the weekend, and apparently how it was supposed to be sunny and stuff. Of course, he and Eric tried to constantly convince me to come but I repeatedly declined.

The rest of the morning passed quickly after that, but I wasn't concentrating on anything except in English. I was too busy being excited for the next big thing to happen. Port Angeles; which would actually take place next week Tuesday. Now don't get me wrong or anything, I wasn't exactly eager to be ambushed by a bunch of drunken dudes, but I had a plan ready so nothing much would happen.

_I was a black belt in Judo, remember?_

My only problem was that somehow, Edward would find out where I _really_ from and how I knew so much about them. I was still conflicted about telling him or not. It wouldn't be easy. I know _I_ wouldn't want anyone suddenly telling me that my way of life was all fictional and that I wasn't a real person. The only thing I would tell him about was that I was technically, from the future. I wasn't sure exactly how he would take that but eh, we would see.

I was also constantly daydreaming about said guy. He looked so good this morning and his _eyes_. It was like I could drown in them forever.

Soon it was lunch and like always, Jessica latched onto me as soon as I entered the cafeteria, babbling on and on about her dance plans –Lauren and Angela had asked the other boys and now they were all planning on going together as a group. I wasn't really paying too much attention. I noticed that Edward's usual seat at The Cullen table (it really was theirs, the principle had made it official) was empty and I had to fight down my grin while I got my lunch. I bought something simple. Two bright red absolutely _delicious _looking Chili Peppers. Or as the Mexicans call them, Jalapeños. I also bought a bottle of Cranberry juice and when I sat down and started nibbling on the first one, the whole table looked at me like I was crazy.

"How can you eat that? Isn't your tongue on fire?" Ben asked me, and I looked at him weirdly.

"Is it supposed to be?" I asked innocently. I had never really had a problem with pepper, to the point that whenever I cooked, no one else could eat my food because I put so much inside. My answer prompted more horrified looks from the rest of the table but I ignored them and carried on eating.

"Edward Cullen is staring at you again," Jessica sang, looking at me with a suspiciously interested face. "I wonder why he's sitting alone today."

This was my cue so I very _casually_ lifted my head and looked in the direction she was staring at. He was sitting at the other end of the cafeteria at a secluded table _very_ far away from where he usually sat with his siblings. Once he had caught my eye, he raised one hand and motioned with his index finger for me to join him. I leveled him with an unamused stare; I wasn't a dog ready to be summoned by their master. The smirk he sent my way stopped all negative thoughts and made my heart stop for a moment.

"I think I'm going into cardiac arrest." I stated, trying to breathe properly.

"Does he mean _you?" _Lauren asked, and the amount of disbelief in her voice was almost insulting. I gave her a look of disdain before sighing.

"He must need help with Bio." I stated for her benefit (I was feeling generous, okay?) "I better go see what he wants." I said, standing up in one graceful move, making her glare in jealousy. HAH! Take that!

I walked to his table, nibbling on my last pepper all the while and when I got to his table, I stood behind the chair across him, placing my closed fist on my hip. I was holding my cranberry juice.

I raised a brow.

"Yes, your majesty?" I asked voice full of sass.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" He asked, smiling at my tone. Both my eyebrows rose now, but I sat down nonetheless. He still smiled amusement in his eyes.

I was rendered momentarily speechless by his gorgeousness. Honestly, I was becoming like Bella. Pitiful.

He watched me all the while, examining me with some foreign expression on his face and I sighed blissfully.

"I just want you to know –and I'm being completely serious when I say this, that I'm in love with your hair." I said bluntly, taking him by surprise. He let out a surprised laugh and I shook my head, taking a sip of my drink.

"Pardon?" He asked, still surprised, but now mostly amused. I grinned and shrugged.

"Honestly, I thought my own was unusual but I've never seen a shade like yours. It's like…rusty colored. It even has red and slightly golden highlights in it. My purple hair has nothing on that dude." I said and it was true, he had such weird hair, it wasn't really bronze, more like…rust…but it did have some bronze in it. It was actually multicolored, it just depended which angle you looked at it from. "It's weird…but I like it anyway." I finished grinning and finishing the last of my snack.

"Thank you, but your hair is by far more exceptional than my own." He replied and I waved him off and instead changed the topic.

"Why the sudden change of seating plan?" I asked, tapping my gloved finger on the cover of my drink.

"Well," Edward paused. "I decided as long as I was going to Hell, I might as well do it thoroughly." He stated, grinning wryly.

"Is hanging out with me that much of a crime?" I asked him, chuckling a bit. He shook his head.

"If only you knew." He smiled again. "I think your friends are angry at me for stealing you."

"Eh, they'll survive." Yes, yes they would. I decided to use using Bella's line.

"I may not give you back, though." He told me, a wicked glint in his eyes. I swallowed thickly. That was _so_ _hawt_. And the intensity in his voice added on to the declaration. Honestly, I was kind of worried. Would he still think that when he found out the truth? "You look worried." He laughed.

"Not really, no." I stated calmly. "Taken aback, yes. What brought this on?"

"I told you." He began, emphasizing each syllable, adding more emotion. "I got tired of trying to stay away from you. So I'm giving up." He told me, leaning forward and folding his hands. I raised a brow.

"Giving up?"

"Yes. Giving up trying to be good. I'm going to do what I want now," He looked away, no longer smiling, "-and let the chips fall where they may." He finished. I laughed while shaking my head.

"You just love being cryptic don't you?" I asked, and the beautiful, breathtaking smile reappeared on his face.

"On the contrary. I always say too much when I'm talking to you. That's one of the problems." He drawled.

"Don't mind, don't mind." I said, using one of my favorite anime sayings. "I don't understand most times." That was a lie. Lie, lie, _and lie_.

"I'm counting on that." I huffed, pretending to be annoyed at his bluntness. I took a sip of my drink and looked at him curiously.

"Does this mean we're friends now?"

"Friends…" He mused, rolling the word around in his mouth in contemplation. I waited and contented myself in watching his pensive expression which turned into a grin. "Well, we can try, I suppose. But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you." Behind his casual expression, his eyes were intense and serious, the warning ringing through clearly.

"Mhmm…You say that often." I told him, taking another sip of my quickly disappearing drink. It was yummy.

"Yes, because you're not listening to me. If still waiting for you to believe it. If you're smart, you'll avoid me." I gave him an incredulous look.

"Need I remind you that you _are_ the one who called me over? And initiated conversation yesterday as well?" I pointed out and his smile grew.

"But you could have ignored me on both occasions." He replied.

"I'm not a generally rude person." Was my simple reply. He nodded in acquiescence and I looked down at my hands, taking in the black gloves. Edwards's eyes were drilling into me and I furrowed my brows, it was slightly unsettling. He was just so intense.

"What are you thinking?" He asked finally.

I looked up into his deep gold eyes and became momentarily stunned.

So this was it, huh? He was dazzling me? _No wonder _most people were rendered speechless…

I shook myself out my daze and answered;

"I'm trying to figure out what you are." _Probably _an angel…

His jaw tightened but he kept up his pleasant smile with some effort. "Are you having any luck with that?" He asked and I nodded.

"Mhmm..." I affirmed, drinking the last of my juice.

A moment of silence to remember the _delicious_ beverage please…

"And?" He asked. I looked at him dead in the eyes and put on a serious expression.

"A Penguin." I declared, pure accomplishment ringing through my voice and he blinked.

"You're so…" He struggled to find the word and I looked at him expectantly. "…Unpredictable." He settled. I laughed heartily and pointed my index finger at him.

"YOLO." I stated as a one word explanation and he looked confused.

"You only live once." I elaborated. "When you only get one chance at life, why make it boring, you know? Carpe Diem and all that shit. That's my motto." I explained and he looked at me curiously and I giggled and let him. Then he snickered and shook his head.

"'Sup?" I asked, and he smirked a very panty-dropping smirk.

"Your boyfriend seems to think I'm being unpleasant to you –he's debating on whether or not to come break out our 'fight'." Edward said, sarcasm heavy on the last word.

"I honestly didn't know I even had a boyfriend. Though, even if I had one, I'm sure you're wrong in your assumption." Psh, Edward _wrong?! Ha!_

"I'm not." He smiled, making me raise an eyebrow. "Like I said, most people are easy to read."

"Me being the exception." I declared. He nodded, eyes twinkling.

"Yes, you being the exception." He looked deep into my eyes then. "I wonder why that is…" I had to look away though; his expression was just so…wonderfully intense. I just couldn't take it.

"I can probably answer that for you." He raised a brow. "It's probably because I'm weird as fuck." He smiled at this.

"Hey, can you do me a favor?" I asked suddenly, and he tilted his head to the side. It was a habit which I'm sure he wasn't aware of, a completely unnecessary human trait.

"Yes?" He asked and I grinned conspiratorially at him.

"Next time you decide to ignore me for some weird reason, can you give a little heads up first?" Edward winced a bit the nodded. "Alright. Then can you do me one favor in return?" He asked.

"Mmm?"

"Tell me _one _theory." He declared and I laughed.

"I did." Was my reply.

"You weren't being serious. You don't honestly think I'm a penguin do you?" He asked in disbelief. I scoffed and waved my hand.

"Psh! Of course I do!" I declared and he looked vaguely insulted.

"Lol, Soz. Joke, joke." I reassured then put a finger to my chin in false contemplation. "One theory, huh? I think I've honestly thought of everything…From radioactive spiders to Kryptonite to being scratched by cats and experiments gone wrong. I've thought of Ninja's and Saiyans, to even Pirates." I answered, and I wasn't really lying. I had toyed with those ideas and even mentally envisioned him dressed as Natsu from Fairy Tail once.

Edward's brows furrowed.

"Those are all good guys right?" _Not really…"_Then what if I'm not the good guy? What if I'm the _bad_ guy? The evil one who always ruins happy endings?" I stared straight into his slightly darker eyes as he said this, they were now a deep gold and I was startled to see that he actually _believed_ what he was saying. I had always known that Edward hated what he was, always wishing for death and believing he didn't have a soul and thinking he didn't deserve happens but experiencing it was completely different. I had always been able to understand Edward on an emotional level, for some reason. It was ludicrous, cause I couldn't even dream of experiencing any of the things he did, but even when I read the books, I had always been able to read in-between the lines when it came to what he was saying. It got stronger after I read Midnight Sun. I could always tell whatever emotion he was feeling and right now, the pure anguish that resonated through him was _heartbreaking_. He was trying to hide it of course, but I could feel it. Edward fully believed everything that he was saying.

Damn and I thought_ Bella_ was self-deprecating.

I sighed and leaned forward placing my cheek in my gloved hand.

"Well, if that were true, then I'd think that you'd be the one who just needs a little love and kindness. The one who just needs a big, fat _hug. _The bad guy who's secretly crying out for attention and only ruins happy endings because he wishes that he were a part of them…But, you know, that's just my opinion." I finished, idly tracing a circle around the table top. It was silent for a while, Edward lost in his all thoughts. I decided to break the awkward silence.

"Random fun fact about me:" I started, drawing his attention. He looked up at me, interest in his gaze, eager to learn.

"When I was six years old, I was diagnosed with Music Dependency Disorder. Apparently, since I was a baby, I couldn't go more than a few hours without listening to even a simple melody, or a rhythmic sound. I would go berserk and start screaming and crying and throwing random shit around the room. My parents wouldn't know what to do, and I would constantly be at the hospital. Doctors would examine me, but wouldn't find anything wrong." I paused a bit, feeling Edward's full attention at me now. "I don't know what happened but apparently it got so bad that I was admittedly into a mental facility when I was…four I think. Anyway, it only made things worse, because it meant I was completely cut off from any musical sound. Eventually, after wearing myself out, I would just sit in a corner and start shaking and stuff."

Edward was paying rapt attention now but I didn't mind. He was the first who knew other than my parents because most people never took it seriously. They just thought I was exaggerating and just loved music a lot.

"So, I stayed for two years in the facility, no improvements. It just kept on getting worse and worse. My parents had given up hope at this point but they did come and visit me regularly, despite the fact that I was literally unresponsive. It was nice of them, I guess…"

"One day, I was in the lab with a bunch of doctors like normal, them doing the routine check-up and me being completely unresponsive like normal, when one of the nurses' phones started ringing. It wasn't anything special, just a simple tune really. But it did wonders for me. Apparently my brain activity started rising as soon as I heard it and I actually _looked _around the room for the sound." I smiled when I said the next bit. "I don't remember much about that time, all I remember was darkness and loneliness but I _do_ remember clearly what happened at that moment. I crawled off the bed, ignoring all that around me. I didn't care about anything about anything except that one sound of the phone ringing. The doctors I guess were all too shocked to do anything whilst I held the phone to my ear. Then when it stopped I started crying again. They all scrambled to play the tone again and I dunno, I just remember _feeling _again….Soon after that they did a bunch of experiments and concluded that I was dependent on music. Any and every type. Contrary to popular belief, music isn't only lyrical, I can't remember the exact definition, but music is defined by a sort of special sound or something. I've forgotten. Anyway, soon they diagnosed me as a special case 'cause they had never seen anything like it, and they realized that at the time, my maximum limit of going without it was about three hours, two before I got cranky. It's gotten better now. I can go up to four before I get temperamental, five hours if I really have to, but never more than six." I finished.

I looked up to find Edward peering intently at me, eyes searching my own but I averted my gaze instead at the big clock on the wall and noticed we had five minutes until Biology. The cafeteria was also completely empty, except for a few people here and there. Hmm...So little time had passed during my explanation, it felt like more than that.

"You must think I'm a loon huh?" I asked, snorting derisively.

He shook his head and smiled at me. That lovely, beautiful, heart stopping smile of his that always made my heart go "_Doki, doki…"_

"I could never think that." He said simply, and inwardly I breathed a sigh of relief before pointing at the clock.

"You're going to be late for class." I said to him. Of course, I knew he wouldn't be going, and I wasn't either. I just didn't feel like it. My plan was to go and maybe get some ice-cream or something.

Edward smirked and he too raised a perfectly sculpted brow at me.

"You say that as if you aren't going." He drawled and I nodded my head, confirming his assumption.

"I'm not. I'm going to get some Ice-cream. Ditching is healthy every once in a while." I said, grinning when I took the words right of his mouth before he could even say them. He looked at me, slightly incredulous for a minute.

"Well, I wasn't planning on going either." He replied, crossing his arms, and I had to look away when his forearms flexed. He wasn't wearing his jacket.

"Good. We'll ditch together." I said, standing up quickly and grabbing his hand before I really had time to think about it. "Come on." I said, nudging my head in the direction of the door. He chuckled a bit, stood up and let me lead him through the door of the cafeteria ('let' because I wouldn't be able to without him cooperating) and we ventured into the hallways, quickly maneuvering towards the exit. We got our things from our lockers quickly (_apparently, _his locker was literally right next to mine) and soon we made it to the parking lot, and before I had time to react, the tables turned and Edward was _leading me_ towards his shiny silver Volvo.

"We're taking your car?" I asked, though I got in nonetheless when he opened the door for me like a true gentleman.

_Swoon…_

"Do you have a problem with that?" He asked, when he was firmly situated in the driver's seat.

I shook my head and grinned.

"Not a problem, it's a nice ride –not as nice as my own, but close." I teased and he scoffed, quickly and efficiently backing out of the parking space (cough_spaces_cough) and onto the highway.

"Ha! You wish. This thing can go from zero to sixty in two point five seconds. I made sure of that." He boasted and I rolled my eyes. But he was right about its speed. We were already going a hundred and it had been like, three seconds since we got on the freeway.

"Psh, whatever. Take the Port Angeles lane." I instructed before I moved to switch on the stereo not even asking.

Immediately, Clair de Lune trickled through the speakers and my loud intake of breath drew his attention.

"Clair de Lune." I whispered and he looked at me, clearly perplexed.

"You know Debussy?" He asked me, faint hope shining through his voice at the prospect of having someone to enjoy classical music.

"A bit." I answered,"But this is my favorite song that I've listened to…There's just so much emotion in it that every time I listen to it, I feel like crying." I elaborated. Actually, the reason why I always felt like crying when listening to it was because, coincidentally, it just happened to be my companion's favorite song and it reminded me of how lonely he had been for over eighty years.

"I see…I understand what you mean by the emotion part. It's very moving. This is actually my favorite song." He told me. I knew that of course.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, pretending to be surprised. "Maid with Flaxen Hair is also really good. It's calm and serene." Eddie-kun smiled and agreed. The highway was literally empty of any other cars except for hours and once he had determined that, he _really_ started flooring it. The rain slicked roads obviously posed no problem at all. I liked his driving, it gave me a rush.

"It is. What is your favorite song?" He asked me, absentmindedly switching to Auto-pilot and leaning back into his seat, loosely holding the wheel. I too, settled back into the comfortable leather seating.

"Mine? Hmm…that would have to be Princess of China by Coldplay and Rihanna." I answered blissfully. He frowned.

"I don't know it." He told me and I smiled, suddenly gaining an idea. I bent down into my school bag and dug out my phone and charger. Yes, it was maybe a bit stupid but, it kinda of acted as a gesture of trust.

"Here. You can take this from me for a while. But, you can't let anyone else see it, our touch it please." I instructed firmly. He looked down at my sleek, black phone and raised an eyebrow.

"You still haven't told me what that is." He pointed out and I sighed.

"It's a Samsung Galaxy SII." I answered simply.

"I've never heard of it. When did it come out?" He asked me, slowing down a bit to switch lanes.

"Twenty-third of May, twenty-twelve." I replied nonchalantly. As soon as he heard the year he sputtered incoherently, obviously shocked beyond belief and I grinned in amusement. SO it was a little reckless to reveal that little tid bit of information but eh, I trusted him.

"How's that possible?" He asked, clear disbelief in his tone. I shrugged.

"Who knows?" Was my flippant answer. I put the two items in his bag (I didn't look inside it though) and sat back.

"…Just don't let anyone see it, okay?" I asked, this time serious and he regarded me for a moment before nodding in acceptance.

"Fine, but eventually you will tell me how you got it." He stated, so sure of his words.

"Not a problem, but that will be the day you reveal your own secrets to me." I replied and he chose to remain silent.

"Oh! We're here! Stop, stop, stop!" I exclaimed and he obliged me, stopping in front of the Yamaha store. He looked at me like I was crazy but I ignored him and grabbed my wallet from my backpack and got out the car. When I looked at my feet though, I let out a surprise gasp.

"What is it?" He asked, helping me out the car, since he couldn't open the door for me without arising suspicion.

"I forgot I was wearing heels." I told him as he shut and locked the car. Edward let out a surprised laugh and shook his head in disbelief.

"I see. Did I mention you look lovely today?" He asked and I smiled bashfully, suddenly shy.

"Thank you. You look quite handsome yourself." On the bright side, I knew my mission had been accomplished.

"May I ask what we are doing here? I thought you wanted Ice-cream." He said to me, holding open the glass door and letting me enter first.

"I do want Ice-cream, but first, I need to purchase a new Violin. I left my old one back home and even before then, I hadn't played in a few months. I'm sure I've gotten a little rusty so I need to start playing again." I explained, ignore the appreciative look the store clerk gave me and also ignore the growl Edward sent him, heading straight to the stringed instruments section.

"You play Violin?" He asked, surprised. I nodded absentmindedly, instead gazing at all the different options displayed before me.

"Mhmm…Since I was seven. It helped a lot." I answered, running my fingers along a Full Size, Cherry Wood Classical Violin. I like the feel out the wood under my fingers and decided to try it.

I picked up the Bow next to it, along with the instrument itself, and placed it in position, just under my chin.

I felt Edward watch in rapt fascination but I ignored him momentarily and pressed down of a few strings, before gently, lightly running the bow across them, feeling the vibrations run through my body.

I smiled at the sound it created, remembering what it felt like to play, and before I knew it, I was playing a short piece, nothing much, just something my teacher taught me in order to know if you had chosen the right violin. When I did, I frowned at the sound and shook my head before putting it back on the rack with the others.

Another violin, white with a blue neck caught my eye and I went to it. I played the same tune like I had with the previous and smiled in satisfaction, after a bit of tuning, it was playing perfectly.

"You play wonderfully." My companion said, startling me. I looked up to find him watching me, warmth in his eyes. I didn't think he was aware he was showing it, he wasn't supposed to openly show his affection of me at least until he revealed he was a vampire.

"Oh that little tune? You flatter me dude, but I can do much better. Don't you need to pick up some piano strings while were here? I'm almost finished; I just need the guards and case, along with a few other stuff." I explained.

"How did you know I played the piano?" He asked, and I smiled.

"Your fingers. They gave you away." I told him, winking and going to pick out a case and the other materials I needed.

"Hmm…Piano hands…But you're right; I should probably get it over with." I nodded at him and we quickly finished and made it to the checkout counter quickly. Sadly, before I could even get out my credit card, he stopped me by shaking his head.

"It's alright. I've got it." He said to me, smiling.

"But no! You really don't have to! Instruments and their materials are very expensiv-"I tried to protest but he had already finished and the things had been packed and were ready. So instead all I could do was given him my most sincere and grateful smile and say "Thank you."

Before I knew it, we were quickly speeding down the highway back to Forks, the rain our new companion.

"Thank you for ditching with me. We didn't do much but I still enjoyed myself." I told him when we had almost arrived at my street. He turned and smiled his famous crooked smile at me, making my heart stop.

"It was a pleasure. I enjoyed myself too. Now I have something to look forward to." He stated, turning the corner and into my street.

"And what is that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He parked in my driveway and got out, not yet answering my question. I watched as he made his was to my side and opened the door for me. He just carried on smiling mischievously, even when he helped be deposit my purchases inside. I watched him suspiciously, and leaned against the threshold of the front door, watching make his way to his Volvo.

Just before he opened the door to get in, he turned back to me and said; "You playing for me, of course." Then he winked, got in and drove away, leaving me too stunned to protest.

* * *

Later that night, as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that this was my first act of major deviation from the Twilight plot and I couldn't help but smile as I got under the covers.

From now on, I would be doing things _my_ way.

* * *

**_Early Update! Yay! _**

**_And, we've got two new reviewers on the review train!_**

**_Yeah! But guys, only two reviews..seriously? I'm so disappointed._**

**_By the way, is anyone else having trouble with Docx? I can't receive or send any files..._**

**_Anyway, I hope you also liked the major plot twist. Because from here on out, I'll really be doing things differently :)_**

**_Also, I'm not sure if Music Dependency Disorder is real. I know of Music Addiction Disorder but I just felt that it wasn't strong enough for what I wanted...Yeah._**

**_Lots of love, _**

**_Blue!_**


	7. Chapter 7

_Playlist:_

_Album: Pure Heroin-Lorde_

* * *

I don't know why I did it. I really don't. But for some odd reason, I had decided to go to the beach on Saturday. I hadn't planned on it really. My plan was actually for me to get started on a new training regime with Nina and get started on it. And she was all for it too. But when I woke up Saturday morning, got dressed in a pair of combat print khaki shorts and a black T-shirt, sneakers at the ready, she didn't do anything to stop me.

The previous day –Friday, was a pretty boring day too. The only highlight of it was when I found my Range Rover parked in the driveway as if it had been there all along. I hadn't heard it pull up the previous night, and then I remembered that in the book, Alice had pushed Bella's truck to her place, so I assumed that she had done the same this time.

Jessica of course was curious about my little 'lunch date' with Edward Cullen and she inquired about it at lunch, with Lauren, Angela and some other girl (Susan, I think) listening intently.

"What did Edward Cullen want yesterday?" Jessica had asked, whilst I was being needlessly sadistic with some chicken on my plate. I looked up halfheartedly and shrugged.

"I don't know. He didn't really say."

"You looked kinda mad…"She pointed out, eager to get some juicy gossip to spread around the school.

"Oh, did I?" I asked. Jessica was visibly frustrated with my response so she huffed and changed the subject, trying from a different angle.

"I've never seen him sit with anyone other than his family before. That was weird." The blond stated. I nodded.

"Mhmm…" Was my halfhearted reply, before I shoved the brutally mutilated pieces of chicken in my mouth.

Really, other than that, Friday was pretty boring.

So anyway, here I was, still wondering what had possessed me to decide to actually _willingly_ hang out with other people and really, at this point I didn't really care anymore.

"Where're you headed off to this early?" Aunt Zaho asked when I saw her in the guest room arranging the pillows to look like they were in disarray, but in an organized way. Don't ask me how that was possible, she managed it somehow.

"A bunch of kids from school invited me to go to the beach with them, and well…yeah." I said, shrugging and leaning on the threshold of the door.

"I thought you had no friends. And you hate crowds." She deadpanned, pausing in her actions to give me a look. You see, even she knew I was antisocial.

"One, they're not my friends. They're annoying pests which won't leave me alone at school, no matter how hard I try to avoid them. Two, yes I hate crowds, especially at the beach. I'm only going because I'm bored and there's nothing better to do." I explained, ignoring her look of disbelief.

"Say's you. A package arrived for you this morning. It's quite a big box actually, but not too heavy. It seemed pretty interesting to me." She said and I wondered who would send me a package. My parents perhaps?

"I'll check it out when I get back. Anyway, I'm off, 'else I'll miss the rendezvous point and stuff. See you." I said turning to leave but just before I could get out the door she called out to me again.

"By the way Arsinoё, we've got a marriage in two weeks." She said nonchalantly, though she had a mischievous look in her eyes. I gave her a wary look, instantly suspicious. She was looking far too amused.

"Oh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "And who might it be?" Aunty Zaho shrugged and fixed the silver fur throw at the end of the bed.

"Anat." She declared, and I had to physically drop keep my jaw from falling off. Nope, didn't work. I gawked in disbelief.

"_Zehira, inty bit-harragy?" _I asked, momentarily forgetting how to speak English and reverting to Arabic. My aunt gave me a look of disapproval.

"Don't call me by my full name, and no, I can assure you, I'm not joking." She said, sitting on the immaculately made bed.

"Who'd want to marry _her?" _I asked in disbelief. Okay, that was a stupid question. Anat was my cousin, my _very_ beautiful cousin actually. That girl was perfect in every way, with her long perfectly curly light purple hair which constantly looked like she should be the cover girl for _Pantene, _a body which would make any supermodel cry and a face which looked like it was carved by angels. Long eyelashes, big catlike green eyes, all that stuff. One might have thought the reason I hated her was because I was jealous (which I was) but in fact, the reason I hated her was because she had a horrible personality. Or at least with me she did. Around the grownups she was the perfect angel, prim and proper and ladylike. I mean, I was all those things too when I had to be, but she took it to a whole new level. Not to mention how annoyingly talented she was. She always made everything a competition between us, and it got even worse after my father forced me to take the IQ test when I was thirteen. Then it became some type of rivalry, who could play the better instrument –She played Piano-, who could do the better traditional ceremony, who got the better grades (I always won at that one easy, no matter how hard she tried.) and really, it got tedious. But my competitive streak just never let me be, and much to my dismay, I somehow always found myself willingly trying to one up her. She was named after the Egyptian of Goddess of War for a reason dude.

I blamed the parents though; it was their fault for always comparing us since we were kids, as soon as I got out the asylum.

"Apparently, some rich Count from Italy does. We got the invite this morning; it's on the table if you want to see it. A very beautiful box filled with sand and crystals and other little trinkets. It's quite a lovely idea for an invitation actually. Wedding is actually taking place in Thailand." Oh, this just kept on getting better and better.

Of course….When literally everyone in your family is a millionaire, you couldn't just go marry a '_commoner'. Quelle Horreur! _

Can you hear the sarcasm?

"Welp, good for her then." I said dully.

"Mhmm…I'm sure he's nothing compared to Edward Cullen though…" She drawled and I smirked.

"Nothing." Was my sure declaration. She laughed heartily.

"Yes well, you can bring him as a date if you want. We're leaving next Sunday so be prepared." She told me and I nodded resignedly.

"Aye, Aye Captain." I saluted before leaving.

* * *

It was sunny, blindingly so, to the point where I had to actually wear sunglasses in order to drive properly. I was actually pretty happy about it though, because I hadn't yet had a chance to wear them since my 'arrival' in Forks and I had forgotten how awesome my Ray Bans were. They were black and had gold on the sides and I couldn't help but feel so awesomely swag when I wore them.

The Newtons' Olympic Outfitters store was just north of town and I had passed it a couple of times. I had always told myself I would pass by for some hiking gear, but I never really got the chance. Okay, so that was a lie, I had plenty of chances but I had always put it off for "Next time". In the parking lot, I recognized Mike's Suburban and Tyler's Senatra. As I pulled up next to their vehicles, I could see the rest of the group standing in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys –Conner and Ben. Angela was there, flanked by Jessica and Lauren and some other girl I had purposely kicked in the shin in Gym the other day when she gave me a dirty look. She saw my car first and glared before turning and whispering something to Lauren who also sneered. I parked and got out the car nonchalantly, greeted by many surprised looks.

"Noё! You came!" Mike called enthusiastically and I gave him a genuine smile. It was nice for someone to actually want to see me. In my happiness I gave him a high-five, along with the other guys and beamed.

"Yeah dude. I figured that it would be a waste not to!" I said, and his smile widened.

"And I told you it would be sunny didn't I?" He asked, draping an arm over my shoulder and gesturing to the sun and poking my sun glasses. "You look good in those." He complimented and I noticed Jessica giving me a jealous glare.

"Thanks." I said.

"We're waiting on Lee and Samantha –unless you invited someone?" He said lowly and I saw some eyes flicker towards me, obviously expecting me to have invited Edward.

"Nah, just me." I answered. Mike looked happy.

"Will you ride with me? It's that or Lee's mom's Minivan." He offered and I shook my head.

"Er, how about I just take my car. I can give someone a ride if they want. There's a lot of people and it's quite hot. I don't think we want to be squashed up together." I offered and Mike looked slightly disappointed, but even he saw it was a good idea. No one wanted to be stuck together for half an hour.

"Sure, good idea. Anyone wanna ride with Noё?" He asked the group and the guys shook their heads.

"Nah, we're riding with Lee, he just got the new Fall Out Boy CD and we wanna listen to it." Eric said and Lauren scoffed.

"As if." She spat and I rolled my eyes, before turning to Angela.

"Wanna ride with me?" I offered and she smiled and nodded, stepping forward and we linked arms.

"That would be great." She said and I smiled. Angela was one of the few I genuinely liked, the others being Mike and Eric. They were genuinely nice people who weren't secretly talking about me behind my back. Okay, maybe Mike and Eric did but they did it in a good way.

Lee and Samantha arrived soon after that and before I knew it, we were all on our way to La Push. I made pleasant conversation with Angela who constantly praised my car and we rolled down the windows and agreed on how it was such a nice day. Also, the road to La Push was lovely; the forest was lush and beautiful as it lined the sides of the road with the sparkling Quillayute snaking beneath it twice. Once again I was reminded how lovely this place was, and how natural it all was. It made me wonder how Bella could ever hate it here.

I went to the beach often in my world; mostly because I lived a five minute walking distance from it but I had to admit the beach in La Push was quite different from the one in Dublin.

The water was dark blue, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the grey rocky shore. Islands rose in the distance with sharp cliff sides reaching to uneven peaks that were crowned with tall firs. The beach only had a thin border of actual sand and it was more gravel than the fine soft grains I was used to back home. Mostly, it was millions of stones, which came in many different shapes, sizes and colors and I vowed to collect some, along with numerous seashells that lined the beach. The tide line was strewn with dead driftwood, bone white from the salt and all piled together against the edge of the forest, just out of reach from the hungry waves.

The wind which blew in our direction smelled nice, like saltwater and seaweed, along with the tangy smell that always screamed "Ocean!" which I always suspected to be fish. Pelicans and Seagulls flew in swarms, occasionally descending to try their luck in finding lunch. It was nice in its own way, and I liked the calm feeling of it.

We made our way down the beach, and I watched in amusement as Lauren and Jessica, along with that other girl squealed every time their foot slipped out their sandal and touched the wet sand and occasional bunch of seaweed. Honestly, if you were flops to beach you're gonna have to take them off 'else they'll cut from the heavy weight of sand. I was happy to see that like me; Angela was dressed practically, wearing sneakers, yellow capris and a light blue floral print t-shirt.

Eric and Ben gathered a few sticks and twigs from the drier piles of the forest's edge and soon there was a teepee shaped pile in the center of the wood ring.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asked me, eyes twinkling in anticipation. I nodded and smiled at him.

"Yeah, I've always loved the different colors the salt causes. It's really beautiful. My best friend and I would dance around them when the tide was low and pretend we were doing some type of tribal ceremony." I said, laughing as I recalled Lucianna's and I's crazy antics. Mike laughed loudly and bent down with a light to light a twig.

"I would have loved to see that." He said and we watched in amazed silence as the flames started to grow and spread to the other pieces of wood. It was beautiful to watch, and I let out a gasp, I had forgotten how stunning they were to actually experience.

"I missed driftwood fires…"I breathed and Mike nodded from next to me. I watched as the flames turned every blue imaginable along with greens and purples mixed in too.

"Pretty isn't it?" He asked and I nodded. He took another stick and lit it where the flames had not reached before sitting on the log beside me. Jessica sat next to him immediately and quickly grabbed his attention. I sat watching the blue-green flames for a while, thinking how it would be awesome if Lucy could be here with me. I really did miss her.

After half an hour of chatter that even _I_ got myself involved in (mostly because it was fun annoying Lauren and her friend) the boys, decided they wanted to check out the tide pools, like expected. I was eager to join them, because unlike Bella, I was actually adventurous and loved to hike.

Also, Lauren reinforced my decision by staying behind on the claim that she hadn't worn the right shoes.

The hike didn't take long, but I loved it anyway, the forest was beautiful and I took a bunch of photos along with the group, and photobombed quite a few as well, we had fun, and I realized that the guys were really great people, especially in comparison to the girls. Well, except Angela. She was pretty awesome, so awesome in fact, that she joined the hike.

We eventually broke through the foliage and onto the rocky shore. It was low tide and the tidal rivers flowed past us into the sea, along its pebbled banks the pools were brimming with life.

Unlike Bella, I was very reckless in my exploration of the pools, jumping across the small ones and hopping from rocks and leaning over the edge. It was nice seeing all the bouquets of brilliant anemones swing and sway leisurely like they had not a care in the world and were high on Weed or something and were speaking to each other like "_Dude…You need to chill….And be cool man…Just Chill~"_ and then I almost killed myself laughing too hard and almost falling off the edge. The others asked what was funny and I told them and we all laughed together about the Hippie Anemones. Another great thing that happened was that Angela had actually brought two glass jars and had given me one of them so we could pick some shells and interesting looking rocks. I didn't fill mine up immediately, because here were others at the beach so it was filled about halfway.

Finally, we all got hungry and we made our way back loudly joking around and shoving each other and daring each other to climb up trees or jump off that big rock into that pile of leaves over there.

When we got back, like expected, the group we had left had multiplied and my good mood promptly plummeted and died a horrible, brutal death when I saw the new comers.

They were hard to miss, with their deep golden and tan skin, long silky black hair and most of all, tall and buff bodies. I ignored them and tried hard not to draw attention to myself, though, of course it didn't work with my purple hair and all.

The food was passed around and the boys literally almost killed each other to get some while Eric introduced us all. Angela and I were the last ones to arrive, and when Eric said our names, I noticed the one I assumed to be Jacob give me a look of interest.

_Naaaaooooo…..Don't look at me….Ignooore me! _

Sadly that didn't work and I felt his eyes on me the whole time I was eating with Angela. Still, I pretended I didn't notice.

Someone was playing some music and it also helped my mood. It was relaxing sitting with Angela, and we found ourselves bonding over stories from our many travels. I had found out that since her father was a priest, they did missionary trips a lot and she had been to many different countries, Egypt and Korea included. It was nice to talk about my home, and my _had been_ home and I also found out that she could speak a little bit of Korean. People eventually drifted off into smaller groups, Angela as well and I wanted to go with her but then I figured that I might as well stay and meet Jacob. See why Bella was so in love with him. And like predicted, as soon as Angela got up to leave, soon after Jacob was in her place.

He looked like a fifteen year old teenager, with his still chubby cheeks, bright smile and long black hair which secretly I was envious of. His skin was beautiful as well, silky and russet colored, and his cheek bones were even higher than mine as well, and I wondered if it was even possible for him to ever look angry. It was surprising that this boyish, happy dude next to me would grow into a constantly angry, buff werewolf in a little less than a couple of months.

"You're Arsinoё Zeidan aren't you?" He asked, smiling. I nodded.

"Mhmm…That's me." I answered, forcing a smile onto my face. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, but he just got so annoying in Eclipse and onwards. Like dude, control your hormones. Stop acting like a dog in heat.

Lol, get it?

"I'm Jacob Black. I stay here down at the Rez." He said, holding out his calloused hand. I shook it and was surprised at how warm it was, and yet he wasn't even a wolf.

"Nice to meet you. You have such nice hair by the way. I wish mine were like it." I said and I figured it would be good to start with a compliment.

On another note, why did these guys all have such nice hair?

"Hah, it's hard to take care of. I'm going to cut it soon." I looked at him in mock horror.

"Rapunzel! Never cut your long tresses!" I said jokingly and he laughed.

"Har har. But seriously, it's annoying."

"Why not braid it then? If you could see what mine looks like when it's braided. It's a bush." I told him and he looked like he was actually considering it.

"Maybe. Some guys I know do it." He said, scratching his chin pensively and I shrugged.

"It's easier to take care of that way. Anyway, how old are you?" I asked, changing the topic. He grinned at me.

"Just turned fifteen." He said sounding smug.

"Oh, you're a pretty big boy now aren't you?" I said laughing and he joined in too.

"Yeah, I guess so. How old are you? What, eighteen? You're pretty tall for a girl." He asked curiously.

"Dude, what's that supposed to mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, I'm Five-seven, and I'm sixteen." I answered and he looked positively eager at the news that I was only one year older than him.

"You know Noё, Jacob?" Lauren spat and I was actually grateful at her interruption. Jacob seemed to also notice the malice in her voice and looked surprised.

"Oh yeah, Lauren." I drawled, "Just sharing some hair tips." I said and she sneered.

"How nice." It sounded like she didn't think so at all and her cold eyes narrowed, mine meeting them defiantly. "Noё, I was just saying to Tyler here that it was too bad that none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing and I growled.

"Oh, I did, but you see, when I told them you were coming-"

"You mean Doctor Cullen's family?" Sam asked, interrupting my awesome comeback. I gave him a look of disbelief.

_EXSQUEEZE ME?!_

Yo? Do you not see that me and this bitch are having a confrontation? How dare you interrupt us?

I always knew you were a douche Sam.

Lauren seemed irritated as well but reluctantly turned her attention to him as well.

"Yes, do you know them?" She asked condescendingly, turning towards him and somehow managing to look down her nose at him, which was quite a feat, considering that he was standing over her and he was _huge_. I commend you my sister. Good job.

"The Cullens don't come here." He said in a tone which clearly said the topic was closed before turning away and continuing his conversation with who I assumed to be Jared. Lauren huffed angrily before turning her attention back to Tyler.

Honestly Sam, could you be any more of a douche?

"Hey, wanna walk down the beach with me?" I asked Jacob, who nodded enthusiastically and leapt up quickly. I was curious and I wanted to hear the legend myself in person. I had always thought it was interesting.

Once we had walked a safe distance away, I decided now was the time to grill Jacob about the Quileute legend. Though I wasn't going to flirt with him, I didn't want to lead the poor guy on only to later to crush his heart brutally later. No, he was too nice for that. I wasn't Bella.

"Hey, just a question, who was that guy Lauren was talking to, he looked a bit too old to be hanging out with a bunch of high-schoolers…Or maybe he's just packing up on them steroids…" I said, nudging him in the ribs playfully. Jacob laughed that loud, infectious laugh of his and gave me a look of disbelief.

"Steroids?" He asked and I shrugged.

"Have you seen him? That dude is huge!" I exclaimed and Jacob laughed some more.

"Yeah, 'guess he is. That's Sam –he's nineteen." Jacob said and I nodded.

"Woah, and here I thought he was thirty. My bad." I said, in false amazement, prompting the boy next to me to laugh even more.

"I'll be sure to tell him that." He told me.

"Don't you dare." I declared, shoving him and he chuckled.

"What was that he was saying about the Doctor's family anyway? With the tone he used, I would think that they once decided to go streaking down your streets or something dude." Jacob laughed even harder and I laughed too and the mental image that created.

"You're funny you know?" He asked before shaking his head, broad shoulders still shaking. "The Cullens you mean. They're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He told me before looking out to one of the many islands in the distance.

"Why not?" I asked, sounding casually curious. Jacob smiled sheepishly.

"Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell you that." He stated apologetically.

"I won't tell or anything if that's what you scared of. It will be our little secret." I said, winking and he seemed to deliberate for a moment before nodding and turning back towards me.

"Do you like scary stories?" He asked and I grinned, happy that I was successful.

"Love them." I stated eagerly.

* * *

In the end, Jacob didn't tell me anything he hadn't told Bella in the books but it was still interesting to hear a firsthand account of it. Bella was right though, Jacob was a really good story teller, he just put so much…err….emotion? Okay, he was just good at being ominous and stuff. It was good.

Eventually though, it was time to head back home and with a farewell to Jacob and a false promise to come and visit, I took off. This time I was alone though, because Angela was hitching a ride with Jess and the others so it was just me and my jar of souvenirs. It was lightly drizzling on my way home, and Frank Ocean's Thinking 'Bout You only added to the chill atmosphere.

I had a great time I admit, more fun than I thought I would have actually. Though, it kinda meant I would be more of a recluse that normal. I had filled up my human interaction capacity for a _long _time.

When I got home, it was a little later than maybe six in the evening and I wandered into the kitchen, hungry and eager for food. I found Nina sitting at the island, reading a book and she smiled when I entered.

"Hello, did you have fun?" She asked, getting up and already heading to the fridge to make me something. I nodded and sat down on one of the tall stools.

"Yep yep. We took hiked and made a bonfire and stuff. It was really nice." I said as I watched her heat up a plate of Pasta in the microwave.

"That's nice. Aunty Zaho is in the sitting room by the way. And your package is on the bed." She told me, taking out the food at the beep and setting it down before me. I was assaulted by the heavenly smell of basil, and many other spices.

"Thanks. It looks delicious." I said, digging in as soon as she gave me the Fork (I still can't get over the joke…Fork…_Forks)_ and it was just as delicious as it smelled. I finished quickly, washed my plate, and went to the lounge to greet my Aunt, who I found watching The Devil Wears Prada. Ah, how I loved Miranda with her signature phrase of "_That's all." _That woman was my hero.

"Hey." I said, plopping down on the comfy cream leather couch next to her. She smiled and turned to me, before plucking a leaf out of my head.

"Looks like you had fun. How was it?" She asked and I lay my head on her shoulder.

"It was surprisingly great. We went hiking, made a bonfire, told scary stories and I brought home some seashells and stuff." I told her, watching as Anne Hathaway was introduced to her boss for the first time. As in, Miranda dropping her coat on the desk before leaving without a glance.

"Good, I'm happy you had fun. Will you show me your souvenirs?" She asked, eyebrow raised. I nodded.

"Yeah but I'm too lazy. Imma just watch this with you." I said, kicking off my sneakers and placing my legs on the couch.

"Well, you're welcome to join me." She invited smiling.

"Oh, wait though; I still have that package I haven't opened. Lemme go see what it is, I'll come back." I said before getting up quickly, grabbing my shoes and running up the stairs to my bedroom.

Note to self though; Don't try running up Marble steps in socks again.

As soon as I entered the room I saw the wrapped package (it had dancing teddy bears) sitting on my white embroidered comforter and eagerly ripped it open.

Only to gawk in surprise and disbelief.

Sitting there, in all its Red glory, was my limited Edition Nintendo Wii which had come out for Mario's anniversary, and I could tell that it was mine because the box was worn from constantly being moved. When I moved it, I saw that under it, was another box, much the same size, and when I opened it, I saw that my black Wii U was in there too along with all the accessories, the Fitness board, my four remotes, everything. Not to mention my numerous collection of games as well. Then a pink not with _very_ familiar handwriting caught my attention and I picked it up, almost crying when I read the words.

'_Hope you haven't been dying of boredom, though I doubt it, you crezeh douche :P_

_Thought you might need these though, I know you can't live without 'Just Dance'. I sent the new one by the way. 'Just Dance 2015'._

_I miss you, and I'll be visiting soon. _

_Lots of uncensored, unadulterated love, as well as kisses and hugs and punches and all that shit, _

_Lucianna :)'_

Oh Lucy-chan, how I've missed you.

* * *

_**PLEASE READ!**_

_**OH MAH GAH! YOU GUYS! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!**_

_**OH GOSH! I'm just so happy with all the reviews, oh my gosh you guys, thank you sooooooooooooooo much, you have no idea how happy I am. You all have my heartfelt appreciation. Thank you so much guys, really. I tried to reply to all the reviewers but if I didn't please tell me. I love you all so much, really, Arigato-gozaimasu :)**_

_**On another note, hoped you like the chappie, I wasn't originally planning on her going to the beach actually, but I figured why not. I tried to make it different though, because you know me, I like mixing things up. Did you like her convo with Jacob? I couldn't think of anything to say, but I did want her to meet him. Er, what else? Edwardless chapter I know, and she hardly even thinks of him as well, but I just want to say, that even if she loves him like, tons, I don't her to be like uncapable of even going one day without thinking of Edward. I've read so many stories where the main character is all like "Oh, I wonder what Edward is doing right now" or "Oh, I wish he were here with me." Ugh, I can't stand it. If you haven't noticed, Arsinoe is very independent and cool. She doesn't and will not EVER need Edward to be able to live. Like, I got so annoyed with Bella and every other fic when they a New Moon and the girl is like on the verge of death. No. Just no. Arsinoe loves Edward, and they will be in love but it won't be a lovey-dovey relationship where they can't stop declaring their love for each other. It will be fun and playful and awesome. More like best friends of something. **_

_**Also, I just want to warn you all that once they get together (next chapter IS Port Angeles) Imma change the whole plot. As in, James isnt going to be in the fic. OH HOW I HATED THE JAMES ISSUE. AND BELLA WAS SUCH AN IDIOT! GOD! **_

_**I told you all that this will be light and fluffy and fun and humorous and that's exactly what its going to be. I hope you all don't mind, I just don't want to do an OC fic like every other out there. I want mine to be different. Actually, eventually you might even call it AU. I'm just giving you a warning. **_

_**Long note, I know, but I do hope most of you read it, cause it's important. **_

_**Also, I've got a little competition going. If anyone can figure out where I got Arsinoe's name from, and what her middle name is before the next chapter, I'll write an Arsinoe/Edward lighthearted ONE SHOT with the situation being the winners choice. Meaning that if you want me to write about them doing the chicken dance or golfing, I'll do it. **_

_**Yeah, okay, lastly, as I'm sure you've all noticed, there are quite a few typos in my fic (I'm glad you read it despite that) and that's because it wasn't Beta'd. My Beta and I are back together again (she was having some WIFI issues) and we're gonna go back an edit all the chappies so they'll be better quality. This chapter is unBeta'd but from the next, they will be. **_

_**Yeah, really sorry about the loooooooooooong note, but I just wanted you all to be aware of that stuff.**_

_**Once again, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE REVIEWS, and DON'T HESITATE TO LEAVE MORE! **_

_**Lots of love,**_

_**Blueberry and Blacktooth ^.^**_


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday was a bad day. A very bad day. A day in which I did nothing even remotely productive.

Why, might you ask?

Well because I spent the _whole _day playing my absolute favorite interactive video game in the world!

_Just Dance! _

And let me tell you that I was obsessed with that game, to the point that it had once taken over my _life_. Though, that's story for another time.

Anyway, Sunday was spent in the middle of the living room, all furniture pushed aside and dancing the day away decked out in a pair of socks (for easy sliding movements), shorts and a tank top. I'm pretty sure I've literally danced to every single song there was, and then some. I got Aunty Zaho and Nina to play too, and we did the _"Macarena" _together. They enjoyed it, and played for a few more hours before calling it quits. Also, much to my surprise, I could still play _'World Dancefloor', _which was weird because who else other than me could be playing _'Just Dance 2015' _in the year 2005?

It freaked me out to say the least, but also made me realize some things.

Like the fact that every time I logged onto Facebook or Tumblr, the date under each status was wrong. Well, not 'wrong' per se...The date was always correct, or at least if I had still been in my world it would have been correct. Like for example, my ex-librabry buddy ('ex' because I was no longer at Trinity) , Georgia posted a photo of her and some friends out and about in the Dublin night life. It was nothing special, just a photo of them at the club but what really drew my attention was the fact that the date read _'September 15, 2014, 23:09pm'. _

That would have been the date had I still been in my old world.

So then it got me thinking; What if, I wasn't exactly in a different world, but more like an alternate reality? Like, a Parallel Universe.

It seemed bonkers really but it kind of explained the reason as to why all my social network accounts still posted feeds from nine years in the future. It was as if both realities were taking place side by side, at the same time. And somehow, some way, I had managed to shift between them to the next one.

I didn't know how, nor did I have a clue but it was my best theory at the moment and until Lucianna 'arrived', it was what I would believe. I was a hundred percent sure that she knew the answer to this mystery and could clear things up for me. But until then (and I don't even know when 'then' is), like I said, I'd just have to wait.

Eventually though, it got too late to carry on playing a game with loud music so Aunty Zaho forced me to switch it off, put the living room back in order and go to bed. She said it was a school night and I needed my rest. Of course I didn't heed her words and instead I ended up playing '_Mario Kart' _the whole night. I couldn't help it, Luigi's 'Death Stare' killed me every time. Princess Peach had something against me though, because for some reason, I always seemed to be her main target. I didn't know what I did to deserve it (other than completely _OWN _her in the Mushroom Cup), really, I was completely innocent.

But now, thinking back to my previous actions of staying up all night, I've kinda realized that it wasn't my _brightest _idea ever.

"Shit." I mumbled irritably when the alarm on my Ipad rang, signaling it was time to wake up for school. Or at least it would have been, had I actually slept at all during the night.

_'11:55am' _it said, making my brows furrow in confusion.

Wait a minute...My alarm normally rang a six-thirty...Why was it so late today -And then I suddenly remembered all those times I had tapped the Snooze button, not really caring about anything other than dodging missiles and not falling into last place.

_"OH SHIT!" _I cried, dropping my game console and scrambling off the bed. I rushed to the bathroom quickly, took the fastest shower of my life, probably chaffed off my gums whilst brushing my teeth and dressing so quickly I'm pretty sure I put my panty on inside-out.

'_How could I be so stupid?!_' I thought, not even bothering to take the stairs by foot, instead I slid down the banister, flew into the kitchen, grabbed my keys and backpack and ran out the house.

Okay, okay, how do I explain being late? I needed to think up a plausible excuse so as to not get detention. I couldn't get detention, it was unthinkable! I had _never _gotten detention in my life, and I wasn't about to start now.

I paused on the last step down the porch for a moment, thinking.

Okay, erm, I stayed up late doing homework? No, that wouldn't work, I had handed in today's home two weeks ago.

My car wouldn't start up? Ugh, no, that wouldn't work either...

Suddenly, I felt something furry brush up against my foot and I let out a startled yelp, startled. I looked down, only to see our neighbor's green eyed cat staring up at me.

"Hello there wittle one...D'awww...You're just sho cute!" I cooed, picking it up and stroking it's fur, listening to it's content purrs.

Okay, back to planning...Er, damn! I couldn't think of anything!

"Meow." I heard and just like lightning, an idea came to me.

"Bingo!" I cried, startling the brown cat in my arms. I grinned brightly and gave the cat in my arms one last pat before setting him down.

"Thanks little guy."

I made my way down the last step, before I stepped onto the the grass of our front lawn and looked for a suitable patch of dirt. It was hard to find, considering the fact that Aunt Zaho made sure the front garden was always kept perfectly taken care of by the gardener who came every Sunday morning. Eventually, after walking around for a bit, I found the perfect spot. The grass was thin here, and it was by the rose bushes so there was some slightly wet soil around.

Looking around and making sure no one was watching (other than Edward, slightly creepy stalker that he was), I took a deep breath, thanked God for not letting me wear any of my favorite shirts and promptly threw myself into the Rose bush.

Let me tell you something, contrary to popular belief, throwing yourself into Rose bushes _hurt. _

Like, it hurt worse than a bitch in heat yo.

"Fuuuck..." I mumbled before staggering out the hedge, leaves and petals in my hair, scrapes on my arms and legs (thankfully none were bleeding) and clothes covered in dirt.

"Yosh! That should do it!" I cheered loudly, ignoring the fact that Edward was probably worrying for my sanity at that moment.

I bent down, grabbed a bit of soil, rubbed it on my cheek and deemed myself worthy of presentation.

Perfect.

I drove to school happy that I had managed to avoid a detention and parked quickly in an empty spot by the gate, for from the entrance.

Then, I looked around, making sure all the students were in class and no one was watching me probably act like a fool.

I jogged in the same spot for a while, enough to make me pant slightly, gave myself a _very _hard slap on the face so I could become teary eyed and ran inside the school building.

Luckily for me, class was still in session so I would make the perfect entrance and it would all go down without a hitch.

Bursting into History class, looking frantic and panting loudly, I immediately drew everyone's attention.

"I'm so sorry I'm late Mrs Turner!" I cried sincerely. The history teacher stopped whatever it was to give me a once over and immediately looked concerned.

"What's wrong dearie? You look absolutely horrible? Are you alright?" She asked, putting down the chalk and coming forward to lay a hand on my shoulder. From the corner of my eyes, I saw my classmates stare in rapt fascination and clear surprise.

"Y-Yes, Mrs Turner, you see _-sniff-_ well I -_sniff-_" I paused for a moment, pretending to compose myself and making her worry laced frown deepen. "Mrs Turner, t-this morning, on my way to school, as I turned a corner, I almost hit a kitten." I stammered, drawing a few gasps from my classmates, and my teacher included.

"I-I stopped immediately before I could and quickly got out the car to see if it was alright, b-b-but _-sniff, sniff-_ it wasn't. You see, it had a broken paw and it was bleeding. It was trying to cross the road but was too weak to make it I think." I said, wiping away a fake tear. Mrs Turner was rubbing circles around my back now, and inwardly I was grinning my face off.

"That's terrible!" She exclaimed and I nodded.

"Well, I couldn't just leave it there you know? So I tried to pick it up so I could take it to the vet...As you can see it put up quite the fight though, but eventually, I managed to calm it and I quickly drove to Port Angeles so I could take it to the vet there. _Sniff, sniff_." Ms Turned nodded for me to continue, and even my classmates were looking sympathetic.

Oh, you poor naïve children...

"Well, Port Angeles is quite far and I couldn't very well exceed the speed limit by more than ten, you see, I try to abide by the rules and regulations of the law-"

"What a good girl you are." Mrs Turner interrupted and I managed a shaky looking smile.

"Thank you Mrs. I try to be a role model to those around me. Well anyway, eventually I made it b-b-but, -_sniff, sniff_-" I paused once more as Mrs Turner handed me a tissue, and I blew my nose and 'wiped' my tears. "It was too late and-and the vet said he couldn't do anything so..._sniff,_ he had t-to...H-he," but Ms Turner shushed me then gently and I pretended to burst into tears as she gave me a hug.

"Oh you poor thing. It's no wonder why you look so distraught. I'll write you a tardy pass, or would you like to be excused from classes today?" She asked me but I 'meekly' shook my head.

"N-no. I'll be brave _-sniff sniff-_, no need to disrupt my studies." I said shakily and Mrs Turner looked positively moved beyond words.

Yes!

"Oh, if only more students could be like you." She said kindly before moving to her desk and writing on a piece of paper before handing it to me.

"Here you go darling, just hand it to Ms Cope and you'll be fine. Go now, it's almost lunch and you need the strength." She said handing it to me and I nodded before thanking her. She nodded before turning away and ruffling through her bag.

Though, just before I left the classroom, I fist pumped and winked at my classmates, causing more than a few faces to gape in disbelief.

Yes bitches, bask in my awesomeness.

It wasn't long after I gave the note to Ms Cope that the lunch bell rang so I quickly made my way to the cafeteria before everyone had time to put their things in their lockers. It was nice to be one of the first people in the lunch line for once so I got to take my time as I picked what I would eat. In the end, I settled for four slices of Pizza (I was starving), a green salad, water and a carton of milk.

I was surprised to see Angela already sitting at one of the many wooden tables outside and I debated for a moment whether or not I should sit with her. I liked Angela, she was nice, chill, and generally someone I didn't mind talking to. BUT! Sitting with Angela meant that I'd have to deal with the rest of the gang too, and I just wasn't really in the mood.

Sadly though, I had spent a bit too much time thinking about it and was dragged out of my thoughts by none other than Mike.

"Hey! Arsinoë! Didn't see ya' this morning, thought you weren't coming!" He exclaimed happily, appearing in front of me.

"Er, I ran into a bit of a road block." I replied, and he nodded, smiling.

I inwardly laughed at my pun, 'road block', 'cat', 'A cat blocked my path'...Lol, I crack myself up sometimes.

"Great day isn't it?" He asked and I nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, makes school a tad bit more bearable." I said jokingly and he chuckled.

"Definitely." He agreed before suddenly squinting down at me. "Hey, I never realized, your hair has lavender highlights." He said, tucking a loose strand behind my ear. I had taken out the braids on Saturday night, and had stayed up well into the night to finish.

I heard a vague crash in the distance, signaling Edward had just uprooted the poor spruce tree in his jealous rage.

I awkwardly laughed.

"Haha, er yeah...Just when you though it couldn't get any weirder right?" I said jokingly, taking a discreet step backwards.

Boundaries Mike, learn them.

"It's not weird, I like your hair." He said sincerely and I coughed a bit. Oh Mike, why must you have a giant crush on me?

"Thanks...Hey, I'm tired of standing and the tray's getting a little heavy so how bout we go sit down?" I asked trying to avoid the question which I knew was coming.

"Oh, sorry. Let me hold it." He offered and before I could decline, he had already taken it and was holding it firmly, if a little tightly. It was probably the nerves.

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's g-" but he interrupted me, blocking my path and preventing me from moving forwards. I sighed.

"Hey, well actually, I was kinda wondering if you'd like to go out together...? Sometime...?" He asked unsurely, clearly nervous and I smiled sympathetically.

"Mike, I really don't think we should." I said gently and the look in his blue eyes was heartbreaking.

"What? Why?" He asked, sounding like a kicked puppy.

_Because Edward might just rip you to shreds..._

"Dude, Jessica like's you! A lot! I couldn't do that to her, she's my..." _Say it Arsinoë, say it! "_Friend." I choked out. Luckily, Mike didn't notice the forced tone and was completely oblivious to my slightly disgusted look.

Ugh, Jessica? Friend? Ha! Never! That bitch will smile in my face then rip the breaks out my car! _Ne-ver!_

"Really? She does?" He asked in disbelief and I nodded and smiled encouragingly.

"Yes Mike, and I'm sure she'd be really happy if you'd ask her instead." I said to him. Poor Mike, he deserved to be happy. He was such a nice guy, and I'm sure if Edward Cullen didn't exist, I'd probably seriously consider going out with Mike.

"O-Oh." Was all he could say, and I laughed before punching him the shoulder playfully.

"Come on dude, let's go eat. I'm starving!" I told him before walking to Angela's table. I heard Mike stumble after me and I gave him an amused smirk.

"Did you remember to pick up your jaw?" I asked, before I burst out laughing at his embarrassed expression.

So, I ended up sitting with all the other guys (Lauren included, sadly) and I was invited to go with them to Port Angeles for dress shopping. I said yes, even though I knew they would cancel and postpone it until the next day and had to keep the grin off my face for the remainder of the day. Edward was probably planning his own 'surveillance trip' (coughcoughstalkercoughcough) at the moment too.

School ended soon after that (considering the fact I arrived when there were like two periods left), and by the time I made it home, the lack of sleep had finally caught up with me and I was positively exhausted. I didn't even bother going into the kitchen to say hello to Nina. I just dragged myself up the stairs, took off my dirty clothes until I was just clad in my bra and underwear before crawling under the blankets and passing out.

I didn't even notice when my balcony doors opened and a figure silently seated themselves in the cream leather arm chair in the corner by the window.

-The next day, I woke up fully refreshed, ready to start the day with a smile on my face. I got up, took a shower, dressed in a pair of black capris, a light green, elbow length, button up shirt which had two slits on the side and a pair of white pumps.

And then I looked out the window and realized that it was still dark.

"Da fuq?" I asked myself incredulously, crossing my bedroom quickly and opening the two glass doors, before leaning on the rails and looking up.

Like yo, it was still pitch black, even the sky was still filled with stars and the moon was pretty high up.

It couldn't have been passed two in the morning!

"Well damn...Guess I got a pretty early start today huh?" I said to myself, before going back inside.

Since I had quite a bit of time this morning, I was able to actually do my own bed and clean up after myself.

I then made my way silently downstairs (Nina and Aunty were still sleeping), made some pancakes (maybe I should wake up earlier everyday) and headed to the living room.

'_Okay, let's see what's on the telly..._'

Boring...Boring...Boring...

"Hey! That's So Raven is playing!" I exclaimed happily. It had been so long since I watched it. In my time all the old Disney shows had long stopped playing and now it was just the really crappy ones.

I stayed on Disney for a while, pretty happy to just watch Kim Possible and the first season of Hannah Montana, and also, much to my surprise High School Musical played.

_Oh...Look at little shaggy haired, gaped toothed Zac Efron..._

Anyway, time passed 'fairy' quickly (get it? Fairly Odd Parents was playing) and before I knew it, the sun was rising and my pancakes were long gone.

"Oh! Arsinoë, darling, you're awake!" My aunt exclaimed in surprise when she walked in on me watching Drake and Josh on Nick.

"Yeah, since two actually." I said to her, discreetly removing my plate from beside me on the couch and placing it on the table before she could notice.

I was too young to die.

"Yes, Nina told me you went to bed early." She agreed, putting her mauve hair up in a high pony tail and looking for something on the book shelf.

"Mhmm...Why are you up so early? It's only sunrise." I pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm always up this early Arsinoë." Aunty Zaho replied. I nodded and turned back to the telly.

"Did you see this month's Vogue lying around anywhere?" She asked me. I shook my head.

"Nope." I answered, scratching my nose and changing the channel again.

"Hmm...Maybe I'll go look in the study. I was in there with Monique the other day..." She mused to herself. Monique was my Aunt's PA. I had seen her around a couple of times on the rare occasions my aunt was actually home when I came back from school. We weren't particularly friendly towards each other. She didn't like me for some reason...Maybe it was because of the time we were in France and I spilled coffee all over her white lace, seven-hundred dollar blouse?

Nah, that couldn't be it.

"Oh, by the way. I can't go with you on Sunday." She told me, turning to regard me with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"Why?" I asked, though I wasn't really surprised.

"I'm flying to Hong Kong on Friday for the unveiling of the new store branch. I really tried to avoid it, I really did but it's impossible." She explained and I shrugged.

"Such is the life of the Rich and Famous. Busy, busy, busy." I told her, grinning and I saw my aunt's shoulder's visibly relax.

"Haha." She laughed, sarcasm obvious. "I'll be meeting you in Thailand."

"K then. Does this mean lunch for Saturday is canceled?"

"Unfortunately, Yuki'll be heartbroken." She said, sounding regretful. I gave her a confused look.

"Who the heck is 'Yuki'?" I asked. She gave me an exasperated look.

"That's the name of the model from Japan obviously! She was very excited to meet you!" Aunty Zaho exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"You never told me her name you know..." I pointed out and she huffed, placing a hand on her hip.

"Don't be daft. Of course I did, Arsinoë." She protested. I didn't reply, no use arguing with her.

"Yeah, well, there's always next time..." I said instead.

"Have you booked your flight?" She asked suddenly and I shook my head.

I was supposed to do that?

"Whoops." I mumbled.

She smirked, her green eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Of course...No matter, Monique has already done it. The flight's at five-thirty in the evening. You know the drill, diplomatic entry, first class section, all that jazz." She said, waving her hand dismissively. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be comforted by the fact that Monique had done it or worried. I'm pretty sure if given the chance that woman would ship me off to the Amazon jungle if given the chance.

I'll probably have to check the flight destination when I get the ticket...Just in case...

"You didn't have to buy me a first class ticket, you know. They're really expensive. I could have bought it myself." I said, frowning.

"Oh, but it didn't even put a dent in my pocket." She told me. And I knew it was true.

"Mhmm." I mumbled, slightly peeved.

"And your date?" She asked suddenly, giving me a knowing look. I inwardly panicked.

Oh gosh no! He's right outside the window!

"Er, haven't asked yet..." I answered casually, though inwardly hoping Edward had been rendered temporarily deaf. She smirked.

"You best do it soon Arsinoë."

"Er, yeah...Sure." I answered noncomittantly and she shook her head in resignation, prompting me to raise a brow.

"Alright then." She said before giving me another pointed look and heading out into the hallway and up the stairs.

Psh...Honestly...I would ask Edward...

Eventually...

-"Oh, my gosh! I can't wait until tonight! I totally already have a color scheme in mind and everything. I'm thinking a blue dress, to make my eyes pop, you know?" Jessica said, prattling on and on about what she would choose.

"Totally, the blue would totally work Jess." Lauren gushed, and I rolled my eyes visibly, prompting a giggle from Angela who was sitting across from me on the wooden table.

It was lunch and us girls were all sitting outside, enjoying the sunshine and making plans for the shopping trip which would be taking place this evening. Or at least _they _were. _I _on the other hand, was just enjoying the sunshine.

"Ugh, I wish you could come Lauren! You totally always know the perfect outfit!" Jessica pouted, though I had no doubt she was lying through her teeth.

"Ugh, I know! You totally need my fashion sense!" Lauren agreed, nodding. I saw Angela roll her eyes and I hid a smile.

Like, totally.

"Lauren's not coming?" I asked, trying to sound disappointed. Lauren turned and glared at me.

"No, she can't. She's got some other stuff to do." Jessica explained, sounding the right amount of disheartened. I nodded in understanding and gave Lauren a frosty smile.

"Oh, I _totally _understand. You forgot to bury the corpse right?" I said. I heard Angela hide a laugh by coughing and Jessica just stared.

I think if looks could kill, the glare Lauren was shooting me would probably turn me into dust.

Before Lauren could give a comeback though, Angela the ever peaceful mediator cut her off.

"Er yeah. So we'll be taking you car Jess?" Angela asked, changing the subject and I heard Lauren huff angrily.

"Yeah. I'll follow Noë home so she can drop off her car then we'll come get you." She explained and Angela nodded.

"Sure." She agreed and I sighed before getting up.

"I have to go and see the principle about some stuff so I'll catch you guys later. After school at the parking lot?" I asked for clarification and Jess nodded.

"Yeah, we'll wait by the lockers." She answered and I nodded before turning to smirk at the still glaring Lauren.

"Don't forget to hide the evidence Lauren." I said winking, before walking away laughing at her fishlike expression.

I did really have to speak with the principle though, he wanted to talk about some stuff. I didn't know what, but it was probably about my academics, yet again.

I made my way to the office and found Ms Cope talking on the phone to someone. She held up a finger for me to wait a minute and I obliged, leaning on the counter and flicking through some self-help panflets.

I heard her put down the white telephone and looked up at her. "Hello dear. You can go straight in. He's been expecting you." She told me, smiling and gesturing me in. I smiled thankfully and made my way to the wooden door, pausing for a moment to regard the golden plate on the door.

I knocked and listened for the telltale "Come in" which arrived a few moments after.

"Er, you called for me?" I asked, entering and shutting the door after me. He smiled and nodded, before motioning for me to take a seat.

"Ah, yes, Miss Zeidan. How have you been?" He asked as I sat down on the plush leather chair across his desk.

"I've been good." I answered and he nodded once more.

"Excellent." He said before going silent and giving me a very probing stare. I shifted uncomfortably before giving a nervous cough.

"Erm, sir, is there a reason you called?" I asked and he let out a chuckle. I raised a brow in confusion.

"Miss Zeidan, have you made any plans for University?" He asked suddenly and I sighed.

Oh, it was _'this'_ chat.

"Well yes actually...I've been going through some options." I answered cryptically and he nodded once more.

"That's good to hear. With your grades, you can get into anyone you apply to, you know." He said to me before leaning forward and getting out a file from one of the many stacks on his desk.

"Normally, this is the Guidance Councilor's job but I feel that the process would go faster if I dealt with this personally." He explained, sliding the green folder towards me.

I looked at it quizzically before opening it to the first page. It was a list of well known Universities, surprisingly (or not so surprisingly) most belonging to the Ivy League.

"Sir?" I asked in confusion.

"Believe it or not, these are all the schools which have offered you a scholarship. I'm sure you've noticed the numerous people in suits coming in and out of my office recently." He pointed out to me, before scratching his grey bushy mustache. I nodded. I had seen them. They liked to shoot me creepy smiles every time we crossed each other's paths.

"Do you have a vague idea as to what you would like to study?" He asked.

I didn't reply immediately, instead scanning the list below me. I noticed that under each name, there was a brief description for what the University specialized in.

"Well, I've been thinking English Literature to be honest." I answered. It was actually what I was studying at Trinity before this whole thing started.

"I see..." He mused before nodding yet again and ruffling through the many pages of the file and settling on one.

"I believe that these will be the best options for your chosen field. You can go through them in your own time and go on their websites." He told me, pointing to the links next to each name. "Of course, you can keep the whole file just in case you might change your mind, but these are the ones you should focus on."

"Alright Sir." I replied, closing the file and placing it on my lap. He smiled.

"Good, good. That's all. You may leave now, I'm sure you're friends are wondering where you are." He said, leaning back in his chair.

_Not really..._

"Thank you." I said standing up, but just before I reached the door he stopped me.

"Miss Zeidan, there are three months left until you graduate...Think about it." He said gently, his brown eyes serious.

"Yes Sir."

-_**Ugh...Yes, I know I said Port Angeles would be in this chapter but I kinda underestimated the word content and stuff... **_

_**The next chapter (which **__will __**be Port Angeles) should be posted in a couple of hours, maybe by tomorrow at the latest! You'll have to forgive me guys, really. **_

_**Anyway, er, I do hope you liked this one, even though nothing really interesting happened, and please take the time to review. Only a few did last chappie (to which I am extremely grateful). **_

_**I typed this chappie on mobile and I don't know, but FFN doesn't show all the page breaks from Documents to go so I had to make my own. Sorry for all those who received two alerts. **_

_**Also, apparently, no one wanted the Oneshot dedication. Ah well, maybe next time. **_

_**Lots of love, **_

_**Blue ^.^**_

_**Review!**_


	9. Chapter 9

Jessica drove pretty quickly (nothing compared to me though) and managed to avoid traffic so we managed to arrive in Port Angeles by four. Surprisingly, it was kind of nice to hang out with two other girls and inn traditional girl fashion, we listened to loud bubbly Pop songs and Jessica prattled on and on in extreme detail about her date with Mike so we go talk about it and analyze. I joined in (hey, I was still a girl!) and we made sure to go through every single word he had uttered. It seemed to have gone well (like expected) and like in the book, she was hoping to progress into the first-kiss stage by Saturday. I grinned to myself, happy that Mike had finally seen the light. He would be happy with Jessica, they suited each other perfectly.

Angela was pretty excited for the dance herself, though not as much about going with Eric. I knew why, she wanted to go with Ben, but of course Jess didn't know this and tried to wrangle out who her type was. Or more specifically, who she wanted to go with.

Let it not be said that Angela Weber is easily swayed.

I had been to Port Angeles before (when Ed-kun had ditched with me) but I had never really taken the time to appreciate it's simple beauty. It was a nice little town, way bigger than Forks but not quite classified as a City itself. It's goal really was to attract tourists, and its pretty boardwalk and strip assured that. Jessica and Angela knew it well though, so we didn't waste time and headed straight to the big (and only) department store in town.

I couldn't help wrinkling my nose when we entered though. I wasn't a snob or anything (even if most of my clothes came from really famous clothing lines) but I just wasn't really a fan of all these...'Commonplace' items. Most of the things were tacky and probably wouldn't last more than a year.

A thrift shop had better quality clothes than these.

The dance was considered semi-formal, and since I was the only one who actually knew what that meant (from years of dinner parties with the 'rents) I was in charge of leading them to the correct section. Both Jessica and Angela had been completely aware and envious that I had been going to things like these all my life and couldn't stop asking me questions. Though they never believed me when I told them that eventually, attending parties all your life got boring. Anyway, because of this, I had somehow gotten roped into getting the final call for which dress looked best on them.

"So, all those parties..."Jessica began suggestively, "Did you ever have a boy to go with or something? A boyfriend maybe?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes whilst helping her zip up a blue dress.

"No. I've never really mixed with other people. I'm more of a recluse." I answered, stepping back and smoothing down the dress. Jessica turned and gave me an expectant look, to which I shook my head and gestured for her to take it off.

"I thought so," Angela said from the other stall on our right. "Whenever you hang out with us your always really quiet." She finished.

"Yep. Truthfully, until I came to Forks high, I was always a loner." I told them and it was true. Well that is until I met Lucianna.

"Gosh Noë! Didn't you ever get lonely or something?" Jessica asked, wriggling fiercely to get the front over her ample chest. I held in a laugh.

"Nah, I like being alone."

"Hey Noë, can you come zip this up for me please?" Angela asked and I gave Jess an apologetic look and went into the next stall.

"That looks good on you." I complimented when I walked in and saw her gazing into the mirror. It was a nice dress, a dark purple, slightly darker than the color of my own hair, thin straps, a few inches passed the knees and it hugged her slim figure in all the right places too...

"Really?" She asked unsurely, tugging at it and I nodded.

"So does this mean you'll ignore every guy who asks you out here?" Jessica asked and I sighed.

_Not every guy..._

"That's what I've been doing so far, so yeah." I replied, looking at the tag at Angela's dress and cringing. It was way past Angela's budget.

"You mean except for Tyler, right?" Angela asked, twirling to see all angles.

Oh right, the whole Prom thing...

I acted oblivious. "Huh?"

"Tyler told everyone he's taking you to Prom." Jessica said when Angela and I came out after she took the dress off, finding the blond holding a pile of dresses on her right arm.

Dude, he actually did it though...Had he no shame?

"He didn't..." I breathed, disbelief clear in my voice. Angela shot me a sympathetic look.

"He did." She clarified and I huffed.

"I told you it wasn't true. Noë's too cool do let a dweeb like Tyler take her." Jessica said, flipping her hair and dumping the unwanted articles in the baskets by the stalls, before walking towards another section.

"Why thank you Jess! I always knew you'd come to appreciate my pure awesomeness!" I said, draping and arm over her shoulder. Angela giggled.

"Well anyway, just be happy Lauren doesn't know. She'd slaughter you if it was true." Jessica said, picking up a long, strapless dark blue number and giving it a critical once over.

"That's why she doesn't like you, you know?" Angela pointed out, still clutching the purple dress.

She must have really loved it...and it looked really good on her too...

I suppose I'll buy it for her as a gift.

"She can have him. I'm not interested." I said shrugging.

"Try telling her that. She's convinced that you're trying to steal her from her clutches." Jessica said, going back into the stalls to try on the dress. Angela and I waited for her outside.

"I always knew that chick was delusional." Was my knowing reply and Angela gave me an exasperated look.

"You know Angela, that dress would look really good with some black heels." I pointed out casually, changing the subject. The black haired girl looked down dejectedly.

"Oh...I'm not buying it." She replied.

"Why not?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious. "It looks really good on you, really brings out your figure and does wonders for your legs." I told her and she blushed.

"It's too expensive. Way passed my budget." She answered staring at her feet and I gave her a smile.

"Oh, that's it?" I asked and she looked up, confused. "Then I'll buy it for you if that's the problem!" I offered and she shook her head frantically.

"No! That's alright, really Noë! Please don't!" She protested, but I could tell she was hoping I would ignore her, and that I did.

"Consider it done." I said finally and she gave me such a grateful smile it tugged at my heartstrings.

"Thanks." She said, before giving me a hug. I stiffened and awkwardly returned it.

"Sure." Then I turned to the stall, which had suspiciously gone silent.

"You alright in there Jess?" I asked curiously.

The curtains ruffled and out came a smug looking Jessica. I raised a brow.

"I've finally found it you guys! _This, _is the one!" She said, giving us a twirl. I had to admit, it looked good on her. The sweetheart neckline brought out her chest, though in a surprisingly non-whorish way and it hugged her in all the right places.

"You're right Jess. You should take it." I said, nodding and Angela mimicked me.

"She's right. You'll be sure to win Mike's heart." She said.

"Great! Let's go the accessories! Silver jewels would look really good with this!" She exclaimed before rushing into the stall to take it off. Soon after, we were in the accessories section, browsing through the numerous different options.

"I really like these..." Jessica said, holding up a pair of silver pumps. They weren't too high, high enough that the height difference would be noticeable, but low enough that it would take quite a bit of dancing for her feet to actually hurt. Practical, but nice.

"Those _would _look good." I agreed, to which Angela nodded from across the row.

"Yeah, you should get them." The black haired girl said, holding up her on pair of black heeled shoes. Like Jessica's, they were too high, and I think Angela was still pretty happy about finding a partner that was tall enough for her to be able to wear heels. Jessica nodded, before putting them back inside the box, stuffing the paper in haphazardly.

"I think I'm going to get these...They would look great with the dress." Angela said, holding them out for us to see.

"Totally Ange, you should buy 'em." Jessica agreed immediately with a knowing nod of her head.

What was up with Jessica and the word 'Totally' today anyway?

I watched in silence as Angela nodded and boxed them up, before we moved off into our last section for jewelry. Jessica chose a nice silver necklace too complicated for me too describe, matching earrings and two similar bracelets. Angela on the other hand, managed to find a gold chain with a heart on the end, matching stud earrings and a simple, yet nice golden band.

I also found myself one of those packets of rubber bracelets in multiple bright colors. Thankfully, they didn't have any cheesy words like "Peace" or "Love" or something.

Soon after, we moved to the checkout station, and whilst they waited in the long ass line, I flicked through some gossip magazines.

Apparently, Brangelina had _just _gotten together. It was weird though, because they had been together for as longs as I could remember, had like ten thousand kids and were even about to get married in my time.

"Hey guys, I'll take these things to the car first so the second load will be easier." Angela said, gesturing to the pile of things in her hands, and the similar one in Jessica's.

We both nodded and muttered "M'kay"s at her and watched in silence as she disappeared outside the sliding doors.

Okay...what else was going on in the celebrity world? Keeping Up with the Kardashian's first season had come out...Pictures of the Golden Globes( nice dresses by the way)...What to wear this season (apparently it was all about spring colors) and a two-page interview with Nicole Kidman.

"Hey...Angela's taking a long time isn't she?" Jessica asked unsurely, starling me from where I was reading a very interesting paragraph about the Australian woman's life.

"Huh?" I asked, momentarily confused before it clicked. "Oh yeah, she is..." I had almost finished reading the whole thing and still she wasn't back. I shifted nervously.

"Have you paid for your stuff?" I asked, putting the magazine back in its row and looking at her expectantly. She nodded.

"Yeah, quite a while ago actually. Come on, let's go meet her." Jessica said, holding up three bags for me to see. I took one (I was feeling generous) and we made our way outside towards the white Mercury waiting a few meters from the store. Surprisingly, Angela wasn't there, though the things were inside and the car was unlocked. It meant she hadn't disappeared too long ago.

I was starting to get worried, there the only serial killer/rapist was currently roaming the town like he owned the place, and unlike me, Angela didn't know how to defend her self, nor a stalker to do it for her.

From the corner of my eye, I saw someone who vaguely resembled our AWAL friend turn a corner and I turned to Jessica frantically. I didn't want to miss her. "Jess, you have her number right? Try calling her and wait her until either she comes back. I'm going to look for her. I'll meet you at the little Italian restaurant in an hour." And before Jessica could protest, I jogged in the direction I thought I saw Angela move.

I turned quite a few corners, shoving my way through the hustle and bustle of the town's rush our time and at one point I found her. I had called her name and she looked up, but we got separated again because of the multiple throngs of people. By the time I had made it to where she was previously, she was gone.

"Ugh!" I grumbled angrily. Well, at least she was safe. Relatively.

I made my way down the street, took some turns which I thought would lead me back to the store and in general just tried to follow the flow of foot traffic whilst inwardly cursing my luck.

What the hell was this? A forced fate? Firstly, I had somehow managed to be Edward's singer (a one in a million chance might I add), and even though it might have positive pros in the future, it wasn't nice knowing that you could possibly be killed at any moment. Secondly, the whole Van incident. I didn't even want to get hit by the freakin' thing! I tried my best to avoid it and park far from its general direction, but somehow, some way, it managed to find me, even when I wasn't by _my own goddamn car. _And now this. I just prayed that a little good fortune would come my way and I would end up meeting Lonnie and his gang.

And then I looked up and found myself in a deserted construction district.

Nope, sorry, apparently Good Fortune is quite busy right now and can't return my call.

You know its funny, because after quite a bit of thinking, just before we had arrived in Port Angeles I had realized that it would have been stupid to _willingly _put myself in any kind of unnecessary danger just for some _guy_. Amazing guy he may be, but still a _guy. _Why would I willingly risk being raped and brutally murdered just to gain his attention? I already had it (hopefully) so I could've just tried another way. But now, here I was (unwillingly by the way), trying to think myself out of a potentially fatal situation. I couldn't rely on my knowledge that Edward would come save me. With my luck, it was wholely possibly that he had gotten stuck in traffic or something. I had my Judo skills, but those could only take you so far against a group of five or six men, who were all (as much as I hate to admit this) physically stronger than you.

Okay, I just had to chillax and think for a moment. If there were any stores nearby, I could just hide out it one until they passed or something. Yeah, that's what I would do.

I started walking faster, looking around for any place I could take refuge, but the only things I saw where empty store with "To Let" signs on the glass.

And also, it was at that moment, when a group of four men chose to walk past the corner, way to grimy and casual to be coming home from work.

Or maybe not, if I hadn't known better, I would have thought they worked at the closed garage a few meters down the street.

_Oh, if only._

They weren't too many years older than myself, and weren't that bad looking either, so it made me wonder why they would all stoop so low as to actually force themselves on an unwilling female. Rape was despicable and something that could never be justified, and to think that there were some monsters in this world who practiced it, well it just made me hate the world more than normal.

They were laughing and joking loudly, as if they were purposely trying to draw my attention and it was in times like these, that I wished I had the Nara clan's ability to literally melt into the shadows if they so pleased. I moved to the side to let them pass, hoping against hope that by some chance they would just ignore me, and suddenly remembered how high the slits on my shirt were, showing my sides. My father had once told me jokingly that my prettiness would get me into trouble one day, I hadn't believed him at the time, thinking he was just being the ever adoring dad, but today, I'm seeing the truth in his words, even if he surely hadn't meant them in this context.

"Hey there!" One of them called, obviously talking to me, since no one else was around. Though I was secretly hoping that he was talking to the very interesting looking rock by his foot and pretended not to notice.

"Hey!" He called again, but I carried on walking, even when I heard the laughter behind me. I walked on silently, but inwardly my mind was racing.

I was being herded. What did one do when they were being herded and there was no where to escape? I couldn't run forwards, I couldn't run backwards, and all the shops had to be conveniently closed.

The sun was setting, and even in my panicked state mind, I managed to acknowledge that the different pinks and purples and blues looked really pretty. I chanced a look back, seeing that they were quite a ways behind me, but two of them had gone. They seemed to be in no hurry to catch up, and I knew exactly why they were being so casual.

As I turned another corner, I couldn't even hear their footsteps anymore.

_Don't panic Arsinoë..._

As the sky started to get darker, so did my thoughts and I started to get more paranoid, all rational thoughts flying out the window.

If I could run fast enough, I could probably make it to the intersection faster than the other guys and probably make my way to safety before they could intercept me. Yeah, that was a good plan.

With that plan in mind, I positively sprinted down the street, thanking the good lord that I was an above average athlete and had chosen to wear comfy and practical (but still nice) pumps.

I suppose though, in this scenario, the faster I ran, the faster my doom approached.

I quickly made my way down the street, turning corners and avoiding dead ends. I heard the vague sound of traffic and human activity quite near and just when I turned the last corner, all hope came crashing down and I skidded to a halt.

_Yes Arsinoë, maybe today should have been the day you wrote your Will. Lucianna would have gotten almost everything, naturally, with a few stuff given to the family...Yeah, it would have worked out quite well. Mother could've received my diamond necklace she had loved so much._

The street was lined with by blank, doorless, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections away, streetlamps, cars and just more life in general. But of course, they were all much too far away. Because like expected, lounging against the western building halfway down the street, both watching with anticipating smiles as I stopped dead on the sidewalk.

And I was a hundred percent sure that the one staring straight into my eyes, with dark hair, was Lonnie.

_Shit. _

"There you are!" Lonnie's voice boomed but I didn't acknowledge it, instead bolting once more down the street, in hope to outrun them. The footsteps behind me were getting louder and faster.

"Yeah," another said from behind, startling me. "We took a little detour." It said and I was forced to stop now, or else I would literally be running into the arms of the other two men.

Okay then, I thought, watching Lonnie approach. Judo it was.

"Get away." I warned, voice hard. Lonnie smirked and I heard chuckles behind me. He walked closer, just in my line of reach.

"Aw, don't be like that sugar..." He said grinning perversely and just as he lifted his arms, years of being drilled mercilessly by the best teachers around, along with multiple Naruto episodes kicked in, and I promptly sidestepped the offending limbs and grabbed his left arm, prompting a surprised gasp, twisted it behind him and forced him onto his knees, arm around his neck and knee on his tail bone. And in one (albeit I must admit slightly cruel) move, broke his arm.

_Thank you Nina._

He let out an agonized scream and I smirked before looking at his now _very _hesitant looking cronies.

"If any of you, so much as twitch a muscle in my direction, I'll break his _spine_. If any of you, so much as make a move in my direction, I'll break his _neck_. Capiche?" I asked and they all remained silent. I wouldn't actually kill Lonnie, I didn't have the guts, but I _would _break his spine. And if taken to court, could justifiably claim self defense.

They remaining three looked at each other, each wondering what to do, whilst Lonnie was making pathetic sounds every time his arm so much as twitched. I took great comfort in them (heartless I may be) but it meant he wouldn't be fighting back anytime soon though.

I think though, the gods took pity on them because just as I was about to restate my threat, headlights suddenly flew around the corner, almost hitting the blond one, forcing him to jump onto the side walk.

Edward had arrived.

I quickly shoved Lonnie away (he let out another cry at that) and stepped back, watching the car and silently hoping (even though I knew it was impossible) that it wouldn't hit me.

The silver car unexpectedly (at least in their case) fish tailed around, skidding to a stop a few feet away from me, the passenger wide open.

Holy shit that was as cool ass move!

"Get in." A furious (but delightfully familiar) voice commanded me. Oh thank the Lord! I had been saved! I knew doing good deeds would pay off eventually.

"Now!" He yelled and I didn't think twice, just hopped in and closed the door faster than I thought possible.

It was dark in the car, no light had come on from the opening of the door, the only light coming from the dashboard and I could barely make out his features then, but it was _him. _And I was so relieved because if any of the other guys had decided to grow a brain and attack me with the other two, I wouldn't have stood a chance. I let out a releaved breath as he squealed the tires around to face North, accelerating too quickly and swerving towards the men on the street. Lonnie just _barely _managed to get away, cradling his broken arm. I felt a wave of satisfaction to know that I had at least managed to do that.

"Put on your seat belt." He commanded and I realized that I was clutching it tightly, probably from the shock and surprise. I took a deep breath to calm myself before doing as told and leaning back in the comfy leather.

He took a sharp left and blew through several stop signs without pause. I felt completely safe, knowing that nothing could happen while I was with him, and at that point, I was beyond the point of caring where we were going. I gazed at his face for a moment, utter relief flooding through me. Relieved because he had once again, managed to save me from certain doom.

I had never liked to play "Damsel in Distress" but right now, I wasn't complaining.

Though, the murderously angry look on his beautiful face made me frown. I knew what was going on through his head, how he was barely managing to restrain himself from going back and tearing them limb from limb...I felt bad, I never wanted to do this to him. Have him question his hard earned control...

"Edward, are you alright?" I asked hesitantly. It was a stupid question, obviously he wasn't, but I asked it anyway, because I didn't know what else I could say.

"No." It was curt. Final. His livid tone made me flinch and I sighed inwardly.

I sat in silence, not daring enough to say more, but disappointed that I didn't have the courage. Of course, I was being completely rational, only an idiot would push a furious Vampire, but I was still disappointed none the less.

I watched him from the corner of my eyes, frown getting deeper. His blazing eyes started straight ahead until we suddenly came to a stop, where he closed his eyes to compose himself. I glanced around and noticed we were no longer in town.

"Arsinoë?" His voice ward hard but controlled.

"Mhmm?" I answered, turning back to him.

"Are you alright?" His eyes were still closed, not looking at me, but the fury was evident on his face.

"Peachy." Was my casual reply. I think I just made him angrier though.

"Liar," he hissed, making me flinch. "Your heartbeat is all off." He stated and I chose not to ask how he would know such a thing. It wouldn't really be the _best _time.

"I'm just a bit...surprised is all. Give me a moment and I'll be back to my usual wise ass self." I told him, staring at my hands in my lap. He remained silent and I performed some breathing exercises Nina had taught me. Honestly, I never really understood how Bella could be completely unaffected by such a...traumatic experience. It was weird, but then again, that girl had issues. Thinking about that made me calm down, and I took one last deep breath, before I nodded.

"Are you alright?" He asked again and I smiled at him.

"Yeah, I'm good." I answered confidently.

"Distract me please." He ordered. I blinked.

"Huh?" I heard what he said, and I knew he was going to it, but I wasn't exactly prepared.

He exhaled sharply.

"Just prattle on about something unimportant until I calm down." He clarified, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. I sighed and thought of something nice and lighthearted.

"I'm planning on buying your Mother a gift tomorrow. She and I have become great friends, you know." I started. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch and I considered it a victory.

"I heard." He replied, voice ten times more calm than it was before. I nodded and smiled, turning towards him.

"She's such a nice person Edward, really! And she's so sweet and is so _young._ I think you might find it weird that your Mother is currently my closest friend and when I think about it, it kind of is but I like her and she's awesome and great and is great at giving advice and not to mention makes the best _ever _Apple Crumble!" I gushed, remembering the taste. "My God! It's my favorite food and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, she comes along!" He chuckled at that and it encouraged me to continue.

"And the other day she came over and we had a little girl's night -you wouldn't be interested to know what we did, nails and the like-, that was the day she brought me the Apple Crumble actually..." I trailed off, remembering how much fun we had.

"I know, she came home and couldn't stop going on about how great you were. Alice and Rosalie were quite jealous when they saw her nails." He told me, a small smile on his face and I beamed.

Only for it to slip right off when he sighed and opened his eyes, glaring at the road ahead.

"Better?" I asked, though I knew the answer.

"Not really." He murmured, leaning his head against the back of the seat and staring at the ceiling. His face was rigid.

"Edward?" I asked questioningly.

"Sometimes, I have a problem with my temper, Arsinoë." He was whispering and as he stared out the window, his eyes narrowed into slits. I noticed they were quite dark.

"But it _wouldn't _be helpful for me to turn back and hunt down those..." He paused, not finding a word to describe them, "...At least," he continued, "That's what I'm trying to convince myself."

I didn't answer. If I did, I would only be encouraging him to do what he so tried to resist. And anyway, I knew that they would be dealt with later. I glanced at the time on the glowing clock on the dashboard. _6:45pm. _

_"_Jessica and Angela have been waiting for me. They're going to be worried." I said in a soft voice, not wanting to break the silence.

Without a word, he started the engine, the low smooth purr surrounding us and turned around swiftly, speeding back into town. We were under the streetlights in no time at all, weaving with ease through all the cars driving down the boardwalk. He parallel-parked against the curb in a place that even I (with my excellent driving skills) had no chance of fitting into.

Show off.

I looked out the window to see the lights of La Bella Italia, and Jessica and Angela were at the door, heading out of it.

I didn't bother asking how he knew where to go, and instead silently stepped on the car when he held the door open for me, smiling.

I didn't ask either, when he fell into step beside me as I walked to meet Jessica and Angela.

"Go stop them before I have to track them down too. I don't think I could restrain myself if I met up with your..._friends_ again." He sneered and I didn't need to be told twice.

"Jessica! Angela!" I yelled after them, waving when they turned. I saw the clear expressions of relief on their faces and they rushed towards me. Though, their faces turned surprised when they saw my companion. They hesitated a few feet away from us, but Angela stepped forward and gave me a hug. I awkwardly returned it.

"What happened? It's been more than an hour!" Jessica exclaimed, eyes full of suspicion as she looked at Edward and I shrugged.

"I got lost, then ran into this guy over here." I answered, pointing at Edward. He gave them a smile.

"Would it be alright if I joined you?" He asked in that polite, yet irresistible voice of his. I could see from the staggered expressions that he had never released his 'talents' upon them. And I wasn't talking about the mind reading.

I rolled my eyes.

"Er...Sure." Jessica breathed, but I had a feeling she had no idea what she was agreeing to. Luckily, Angela was a little more lucid and intervened.

"Actually Noë, we already ate while we were waiting." Psh, some friends you are. "Sorry." She confessed guiltily and I shrugged once more.

"S'alright. I wasn't hungry anyway." I told them, though Edward, ever protective Edward, disagreed.

"I think you should eat something." Edward's voice was low, full of authority and I raised a brow at him. He looked at Jessica, and spoke a bit louder. "Do you mind if I take Noë home tonight? That way, you won't have to wait while she eats." He said it as a proposition, but I knew it was anything but.

"Uh..." She bit her lip, looking at me trying to figure out if it was what I wanted or not. I shrugged again and smiled.

I suddenly in a very shruggy mood...

Shrugs for the world!

"Okay, it's no problem." She answered finally, and inwardly I was doing a victory dance.

"Okay." Angela agreed. "See you tomorrow Noë...Edward." She said, before taking Jessica's hand and literally dragging her away to the car. I stared and waved after them, amused at how Jessica literally craned her neck to see after and. I let out a soft laugh as she almost swerved onto the side walk. Then I turned back to Edward, hand on my hip and an amused smirk on my face.

"I'm honestly not hungry." I insisted, scrutinizing his face. His expression was unreadable.

"Humor me." He said lowly, opening the door to with an obstinate expression. I frown and entered. There was no fighting him tonight, not with that face.

The restaurant wasn't crowded, it was the off season in Port Angeles. The host was female and I understood the look in her eyes as she literally undressed him with them I coughed to hide an amused laugh and she ignored me, welcoming him with more warmth than needed. Ah, if only she knew what was going on through his head right now...

"Table for two?" His voice was alluring, and I think she had an orgasm on the spot. I know I would have. Her eyes flickered to me, sizing me up before instantly glaring. Unlike Bella was, apparently, I had been deemed enough competition for her to bare her claws. I gave her a bored look.

Edward kept between us as she led us to a table big enough for four right in the center of the room. I blatantly rolled my eyes.

Was she for real?

"Perhaps something a little more private?" He insisted quietly, and if I didn't know better, I wouldn't have seen him slip the crisp hundred Dollar bill in her pocket.

I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes again, they might have stayed that way with how hard I was doing it.

It was hard though.

"Sure." She sounded surprised and inwardly sighed. She turned and led us around a partition to a small ring of booths, all empty. "How's this?" She asked, eager to please.

"Perfect." He flashed her his winning smile, dazing her for a moment and this time, I couldn't fully hide the laugh.

She glared daggers at me before composing herself and blinking rapidly. "Your server will be right out." She said before before walking away unsteadily. I picked up the menu, amused.

"You really shouldn't do that." I told him pointedly, shaking my head.

"Do what?" He asked, looking up at me innocent through his dark lashes.

"Dazzle people like that." I told him grinning. "She probably trying to restart her heart at this very moment." He seemed confused. It was surprising to see that he little of how he affected people.

"Don't look so surprised." I said. "You do it on purpose."

"I dazzle people?" He asked, head tilted and eyes alight with curious amusement. I nodded.

"Do I dazzle _you?"_ He asked me and I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Always." I replied casually.

Did I want a Fanta or a Sprite? Tonic was looking to though...

It was then that our server arrived, looking eager and expectant. Obviously she had been told about the tipping hottie who had come in with the pretty girl for a private seat.

I was pretty sure the hostess hadn't said pretty but eh, why fret the details.

She flipped a strand of black hair behind her ear and smiled with unnecessary warmth.

"Hello, my name is Amber and I'll be your server tonight. What can I get you to drink?" She asked, and much to my amusement, I didn't miss the way she completely ignored me and directed the question to my companion.

He however, did pay me attention.

"I'll have a Schweppes Tonic with a slice of lemon." I stated casually, ignoring the death glare she shot me.

"Make that two." Edward said, smiling lightly. She smiled back immediately and I raised a brow.

Subtle, dude...Real subtle.

"I'll be right back with that." She assured him before bustling off to get the drinks.

I briefly wondered if there was a crowd of giggling girls in the kitchen watching from the window, before I felt a firm gaze on me. I turned back and looked at Edward.

"What?" I asked, uncomfortable.

His eyes stayed on my face. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I answered coolly.

"You don't feel sick...dizzy...cold?"

"Do you want me to?" I asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously. He chuckled.

"Well, I'm actually waiting for you to go into shock." He said, face twisting into that heart stopping signature crooked smile of his. I "hmm"ed and let my eyes wander a bit, pretending to look for any traces of shock. After about a minute I shrugged and looked at him helplessly.

"Nope, sorry." I answered and he rolled his own eyes.

"All the same, I'd feel better if you had sugar and food in you." He told me, and right on cue, the waitress appeared, setting down the drinks and a bread basket.

"Are you ready to order?" She asked, voice so nasally she sounded like there was a plug in her nose.

"Arsinoë?" Edward looked past her and towards me and she turned unwillingly.

"Can I have the Spaghetti Bolognese?"

"And you?" She asked turning towards Edward with a smile. She didn't write down my order, nor did I think she would remember it. I doubted it's what I would be getting.

"Nothing for me." He said. Of course.

"Let me know if you change your mind." Her coy smile was still in place, but he wasn't looking at her and she left in a huff.

"Drink." He ordered. I sipped obediently, relishing in the taste. I drank quickly, finishing the whole thing in one go.

He pushed the next one towards me.

"Thanks." I told him, still thirsty. Suddenly, the cold from the drink sent shivers down my spine and of course, he didn't miss them.

"Are you cold?" He asked worriedly.

"Not really." I answered, hoping he would pursue the topic.

_I wanted that jacket. _

"Don't you have a jacket?"

"Didn't need one." I said shrugging, before taking another sip. Not missing a beat, Edward shrugged off his own jacket immediately.

It was a dark brown leather jacket, obviously expensive and underneath, he wore a well fitter dark blue V-neck sweater. I noticed that he prefered dark colors. He handed it to me and I thanked him quietly and slipped it on. It was ice cold inside, like it hadn't been worn for days. Though it smelled devine and I unabashedly sniffed at it, holding the collar to my nose. It wasn't cologne.

He watched in silent amusement.

"You look wonderful by the way." He said, watching me intently, and I avoided his gaze by amusing myself with playing with the sleeves. I wasn't good with compliments. The jacket was big for me, and I had to repeatedly fold it back it I could actually see my hands, and several more times for me to use them.

Before I could reply though, he pushed the basket towards me.

"I'm not going into shock, _really."_I said, trying to reassure him. To no avail apparently.

"You should be. A normal person would be, you don't even look shaken." He seemed unsettled, and stared deeply into my eyes. They were light. Far lighter than I had ever seen them to be, a lovely honey-gold.

"I guess I'm not normal then." I paused, the sighed. "Fine. I was shaken."I confessed suddenly and his brows furrowed in concern.

"I was utterly terrified Edward. I didn't know what was going to happen, I didn't know what to do. _No way _would I be able to fight off four physically stronger guys on my own. I was panicking on the inside." I admitted, looking down. "But I tried. I told myself that I would at least _try_ and do something." I chuckled after this and he remained silent.

"I don't know, I guess maybe they were slower than the average man I suppose, but I at least managed to stall for time. I broke his arm and threatened to break his spine -I _would _have had you not arrived. I wouldn't have killed him though. I could have never killed him." I said softly. Edward was still watching me, listening.

"You don't know how utterly _relieved _I was when you came to the rescue." I told him, looking up and meeting his gaze. "Because if you hadn't arrived...I-I don't know what would have happened."

It was surprisingly weird how easily he could get me to spill my guts.

"But now you're here, and even if you looked ready to commit murder yourself in the car, I felt safe. Calm. I still do actually." I finished. "So, to answer your question, _I'm fine. _Really. I wasn't before, but I've gotten over it and moved on."

He shook his head and his frown deepened. "This is more complicated than I'd planned." He mumbled to himself. I shrugged and picked up a bread stick, nibbling on it.

_Welp, it's now or never Arsinoë. _

_"_Usually, you're in a better mood when your eyes are so light." I stated. He looked up at me in surprise.

"What?"

"You're tenser -angrier when your eyes are black. I expect you to be cranky when they are. It helps gauge your moods. It reaffirms my theory." I told him.

His eyes narrowed. "More theories?"

"Yup." I answered casually, chewing on the stick in my hand.

"I hope you're more creative this time...or did you watch more National Geographic?" His tone was mocking, but I could tell it was too tight to be freely lighthearted. He was nervous.

He had every right to be.

"Har har." I replied, sticking out my tongue. "I came up with this one all by myself. Although, someone did affirm it."

"And?" He prompted but I wasn't given the chance to reply as the waitress reappeared with a steaming plate and set it in front of me. I moved back from where I was leaning close to Edward and stared down at it.

It didn't look poisoned or anything...In fact, it looked and smelled delicious.

But I had read enough mystery novels to know better. I think I'd double check it.

"Did you change your mind?" She asked, turning to Edward. "Isn't there _anything _I could get you." She wasn't talking about food.

"No, thank you, but some more Soda would be appreciated." He gestured with long elegant hands to the empty cups in front of me.

She looked at me like I was a glutton.

I raised my brow at her, challenging her to say anything.

She didn't.

"Sure." She sneered, removing the glass before strutting away back towards the kitchen, hips swaying unnecessary. I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork.

Lol.

I gave my food one last suspicious glance, before shrugging and turning pack to Edward.

"I'll tell you about it in the car, _if-"_ He cut me off.

"There are conditions?" He raised an eyebrow, voice low and ominous.

"I do have a couple of questions, naturally."

"Naturally." The waitress was back with two more sodas. She set the down, glared and left without a word this time. I held back a laugh by taking a sip.

"Well, go ahead." He pushed, voice still tense. I looked down at my food and tried to remember the first question Bella had asked. Ah, yes.

"Why are you in Port Angeles?"

He looked down and folded his hands together on the table. His eyes flickered up to me from under his eye lashes. There was a slight smirk on his face before he simply uttered one word. "Next."

I raised a brow.

"Its the simplest one." I pointed out.

"Next." He repeated. A knowing smirk slowly inched onto my face, and he looked worried.

"Edward...You stalker you...You followed me here didn't you?" I asked, already knowing the answer. He squirmed and I twirled a forkful of pasta and ate some.

I leveled him with an amused stare as I ate, but he didn't look at me.

"_Next."_ He said pointedly, finally and I chuckled.

"Fine, fine. Be that way dude." I said, before shaking my head. "Okay, let's say, _hypothetically _of course, that you could read minds." He stiffened. "With a few exceptions-"

"Just _one _exception." He corrected before smirking _"Hypothetically." _

"Alright, one exception then." I agreed, a smile on my face. I was trying to be serious, but failing miserably. I cleared my throat and continued, ignoring his knowing look. "How would that work? How would you find someone who was in trouble? At the right moment." I asked.

"Hypothetically?" He asked grinning, I nodded. "Well, if I had been paying attention to the timing, I wouldn't have needed to be quite so exact." He rolled his eyes. "Only _you _would get in trouble in a town this small. You would have devastated their crime rate statistics for a decade, you know." He informed me, amused.

"Hey, it's not like I _try _to get myself into these things." I defended. In reality, if anyone was to blame, it would be Angela. Not that I held it against her, but it was the truth. The whole Van thing happened by her car and I prioritized her safety over mine hence the reason Edward had to save me. This time again, she had wandered off, and once more, concerned with he safety, and I had landed in a very _sticky_ situation which could have been avoided had she not left. I wasn't angry with her, but it was a simple fact. Had she not frozen the day of the accident, we could have both made it out, and had she not wandered off, I wouldn't have to meet Lonnie.

"No, you don't." He agreed tiredly.

"How did you know?" I asked bluntly, eating another fork full of pasta and waiting for his response.

He seemed to be wavering, torn by his internal dilemma. I wondered if I could ever tell him I had known from the beginning.

"You can trust me, you know. Actually, I don't know why you don't by now..." I said softly. I poked his hands gently, it was a gesture I used to show my affection. He slid them back smoothly and I inwardly sighed, before eating some more pasta.

"I don't know if I have a choice anymore." His voice was so agonized, torn, barely a whisper and it made my heart clench.

Damn Noë, when did you become such a softie?

"I was wrong -you are much more observant than I gave you for." He stated, and I smirked.

"I thought you were always right?" I asked playfully.

"I used to be." He then shook his head. "I was also wrong about another thing. You're not a magnet for accidents -that's not a broad enough classification. You're a magnet for _trouble. _If there is anything dangerous in a ten mile radius, it will inevitably find you."

Okay, I agree about the trouble part, I always had the worst luck, but _danger? _Nothing remotely life threatening had ever happened to me, until I came to Forks that is. I didn't protest though.

"And you put yourself in that category, right?" I asked instead, my voice weary. Why, oh why did he have to be so self-depricating?

"Unequivocally." He whispered and I sighed before reaching across the table and flicked his hand with a smile.

"You know, you've saved me twice now. I'd say I owe you but..." _I could never return the favor "..._Thank you." I said instead.

His face softened. "Let's not try for third, alright?" I stuck out my tongue at him and removed my hand to get another forkful in. He leaned forward to compensate. He took a deep breath and I gave him my immediate attention.

"I followed you to Port Angeles." He admitted, speaking in a rush. Inwardly I smirked triumphantly.

Hah! Stalker!

"I've never tried to keep a specific person alive before, and its much more troublesome than I would have believed. But that is probably because it's you. Ordinary people seem to make it through the day without any catastrophes." I frowned.

"You're exaggerating. It's only happened twice, and before that the most dangerous that ever happened to me was an when I got my ears pierced." I told him flippantly, slightly annoyed that he thought I was so..._clumsy. _

"The van wasn't the first time." He stated gravely. Now I was confused. "Your number was up the first day I met you."

Oh right..._That day..._

Suddenly I remembered his chilling black eyes glaring at me and I inwardly shivered.

"You remember?"

"Yes." I replied softly.

"And yet, here you sit." There was a tone of disbelief and I shrugged.

"And yet here I sit." Was all I said. He pressed his lips together, regarding me through narrowed eyes. He was thinking again. Then suddenly, his eyes flashed to my plate and back to me.

"You eat, I'll talk." He offered and I nodded, before having some more pasta, and a sip of my drink.

"It's harder than it should be - keeping track of you. Usually I can find someone very easily, once I've heard their mind before." He looked at me anxiously, but I did nothing except keep eating. It was weird. I knew most of what he would say already, and yet, it was completely different when you were the one experiencing it.

"I was keeping track of Jessica, not carefully though. Like I said, only you could find trouble in Port Angeles." I frowned at him. "At first, I didn't even notice when you had taken off on your own. And then I heard he frantic thoughts, worried about Angela and wondering where she could have gotten off too. Only when Angela came up to her did I realize you were not with them. I went off in the direction she told Angela you had gone but then you went south. I knew you would have to turn back soon, so I waited for you, randomly searching through the thoughts of people on the street, to see if anyone had noticed you." He chuckled a bit. "Quite a bit of people had noticed you, because of your hair-" at this I held a strand self-conciously. "-I had no reason to worry. None of the thoughts were threatening, just curious and surprised...but I was strangely anxious." He looked past me now, seeing things only he could, lost in his own recollection and merely speaking aloud unconsciously.

"I started to drive in circles, still listening. The sun was finally setting and I was about to get out and follow you on foot. And then-" he stopped, clenching his teeth together in fury. He made an effort to calm himself.

I didn't push him to continue, he did that on his own.

"I heard what they were thinking," he growled, his upper lip curling slight over his perfect -if a bit sharper than the average- teeth. "I saw your face in his mind." He suddenly leaned forward, one elbow appearing on the table, his hand on his eyes. The movement was so swift I didn't catch it, to me he was just suddenly in that position.

_Dayum..._

"It was very...hard -you can't imagine how hard it- for me to simply take you away, and leave them...alive. I gained a sick sort of satisfaction when you broke his arm, and I secretly wished you do the same to his neck. That way, I could've imagined it to be me in your place..." His voice was muffled by his arm, probably hoping that I couldn't hear or understand him.

"I could have let you go with Jessica and Angela, but I was afraid that if you left me alone I would go looking for them." He admitted in a whisper that had my heart clenching. I sat quietly, not moving, nor speaking. I played with the strand of my hair that had fallen out the bun.

Finally he looked up, his eyes seeking mine, full of his own questions which I asked myself how I would answer.

"Are you ready to go home?" He asked.

"Yeah." I answered simply. Though, I didn't want to say goodbye, even if we had the hour-long (twenty minutes with his driving) drive home.

The waitress appeared as if she had been summoned or something. She had probably been watching.

"How are we doing?" She asked Edward.

"We're ready for the check, thank you." His voice was quiet, rough. It still reflected the strain of our conversation and it seemed to confuse her. He looked up expectantly, not as patient as before.

"S-sure." She stammered. "Here ya' go." She pulled out a small leather bound book from the back of her apron and handed it to him. Edward didn't waste time, the bill had already been in his hand. I would have payed myself if I had been fast enough, but it would have been futile. I wasn't carrying any bills in my wallet.

"No change." He smiled at her as he stood. I followed after, though not as gracefully and he thanked her as she wished him a nice evening.

I suppressed a smile.

He walked beside me to the door, though apparently he didn't have the same qualms about touching me like he did with Bella, because his hand was on the small of my back, prompting me forward gently.

I wondered if he would take as long to kiss me...

Yeah, probably.

He opened the passenger door, holding it open for me as I stepped in and shut it softly once I was fully inside. I watched him walk around the car, amazed by his grace. Honestly, the book was nothing compared to real life.

Once inside the car, he started the engine and turned the heater on high. It had gotten very cold and I knew that the good weather was finally at an end. I was warm and comfy in his jacket, shamelessly breathing in his scent.

Edward pulled out through the traffic with a glance, flipping around to head toward the highway before giving me a pointed look.

"Now it's your turn."

Oh, my, how would I deal with this?

_**Finally! Finally! *Throws confetti and dances* We've finally done it! Yeaaaas**_!

_**Ugh, you guys don't know how happy I am now that we've finally made it passed Port Angeles! Now the **__real __**changes can start happening! **_

_**I hope you liked it, I know I did. I made some changes obviously, and I'm pretty content with the way things ended up. It was an extra long chappie too! **_

_**Thank you to all those who reviewed last chapter, and the one before that. I never got a chance to reply to any of them because you can't reply to reviews on the mobile site, and its already such a hassle to go through the process of updating by phone. My laptop plug isn't working and it's flat and its quite expensive to get another. I'm currently typing on Documents To Go (thank the lord for Blackberrys) so yeah. Also, I noticed last chapter didn't do the page breaks I made. Sorry bout that guys, I'll be sure to fix it when I get a new plug. **_

_**ATTENTION! **_

_**READ! **_

_**READ! **_

_**Two chapters ago, I kinda made a competition. I guess you guys were all too lazy to read the long ass note. I'll repost it here. It only applies to those with accounts though(so I can declare the winner).**_

_**If anyone can find out the origins of Arsinoë's name, and what her second name is, they will be the proud winner of a One shot dedication. The pairing, of course will be Arsinoë/Edward but other than that, it can be about anything you want. Just tell me what you want to read and I'll type it. **_

_**If you can figure out her first name, then it will be pretty easy to find out her second **__**but here's a hint anyway; The answer is in the blood.**_

_**Ya...that's it. **_

_**Thanks to the few who reviewed, don't hesitate to leave more!**_

_**Blue^**__**.^**_

_**Review!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**The cow thing was totally random, believe me.**_

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-"Just one more question." I stated, looking at Edward expectantly as he drove quickly down the quiet street. He didn't even seem to be paying attention.

He sighed. "One." He agreed, frowning cautiously. I smirked.

"How _did_ you know I went south?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked away, obviously uncomfortable with answering the question. I understood really. It was embarrassing admitting to someone that they followed your body odor.

"Aren't we done with all the elusiveness?" I asked amusedly. He almost smiled but it disappeared when he answered.

"Fine then, I followed your scent." I non-too discreetly sniffed my hand, trying to smell what he did. All I smelt was my lemon and mint scented body wash. Was that what I smelled like to him?

"Hmm...Minty." I said offhandedly and he rolled his eyes. "Okay, my last one, because I have a feeling that once you start, you won't be finished anytime soon." He smirked at that and this time it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"How does it work? The mind reading thing I mean. You never explained earlier." I asked. I wanted to know how it worked, I had plenty questions for it.

He sighed.

"I can't hear anyone anywhere. I have to be fairly close. The more familiar someone's...voice is, the farther away I can hear them. But still no more than a few miles." He sounded frustrated at that and I looked at him incredulously. Really dude? You're angry because of a couple of miles?

"It's a little like being in a huge hall filled with people, everyone talking at once. It's just a hum -a buzzing of voices in the background. Until I focus on one voice in particular, then it becomes clear."

"I can only imagine how annoying that must be." I told him bluntly, playing with a few strands of my hair. It wasn't even in a bun anymore, I'm pretty sure the hair tie had just given up hope and stopped trying to hold my bush together.

"Most of the time I tune it all out, it can be quite distracting. Also, it's easier to seem normal when I'm not accidentally replying to someone's thoughts rather than their words. Its a terrible habit with my family." He said smiling cheekily.

"Mhmm...They must hate living with you then, huh? I mean you brothers can't even make fun of you without you knowing...That sucks." I said and he gave me an amused look.

"Emmett finds it particularly frustrating." He agreed with a chuckle.

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Suddenly a thought came to me, and he looked a tad startled at my unexpected outburst.

"What is it?" He asked with a raised brow.

"I know this might sound like a stupid question but can you hear an animal's thoughts? I had a cat before I came here and I dunno, but it had something against me and I was always scared she was plotting my death when I was asleep." I asked eagerly. Seriously though, that cat was evil, and I swear to you that she was having a midnight affair with the neighbor's cat. Lucianna thought they were planning to run away together.

Edward burst of laughing, and I smiled, happy that I was able to make him do so. It wasn't loud laughter, it was nice and soft, genuine. It was nice to hear again. I had only heard it once quite a while ago, and I couldn't help but think he should do it more often. I loved his laughter, and it honestly made me feel like I had melted into a puddle of womanly goo.

Not to mention that he was even smexier when he was smiling.

_Swoon..._

He calmed down and gave me an amused look, eyebrow raised. "You ask the weirdest questions." He said, before shaking his head in disbelief. "And yes, contrary to popular belief, they do. Obviously not as we do. And I never understand. Mostly in short sounds at random intervals and only when they are occupied. Otherwise, their minds are silent." He answered, still grinning. I nodded in understanding.

"Hmm...Then I'm pretty sure I had some type of ninja cat..." I murmured and he chuckled once more before giving me a pointed look.

"Which brings us back to you." He declared and from the look on his face, he wouldn't be swayed. I rolled and caught sight of the speedometer.

130Mph and rising.

Yeah...He was flooring it dude.

"Do you always drive this fast?" I asked, stalling for time. I looked out the window, but other than us the roads were empty and it was too dark to see anything of importance. The only road visible was from a long patch of whitish brightness from the headlights and the forest around us was like a thick black curtain.

"Is it a problem?" He asked with an eye roll. I shrugged.

"Not really no, I'm just wondering if you're in such a hurry to be rid of me." I replied.

"That's not the case at all. I always drive like this." He told me, smiling crookedly and my heart momentarily stuttered.

I swear his grin widened.

"I know." I said dryly. He chuckled before his face turned serious again.

"Enough stalling."He snapped "I'm still waiting to hear your next theory." I sighed.

_Believe me Edward, I'm still trying to come up with it..._

I bit my lip and played with my hair again. He looked down at me, his eyes surprising gentle. What would I say? Should I just be blunt about it? Tell him everything? Gosh...

"I won't laugh." He assured me and I shook my head.

"That's not what I'm worried about." I answered, frowning. "I'm more worried you'll be seriously pissed off."

"Is it that bad?" He asked lowly. I nodded. Ten times worse than you think. I looked out the window, composing myself for a moment. Where, oh where was awesome Arsinoë when you needed her?

"Go ahead." He prompted and I sighed for the umpteenth time.

_Well Arsinoë, the truth it is..._

_You can do it girl, I know you can. _

_"_I don't even know where to start..." I mumbled honestly.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" He suggested and I gave him a look. "You said you didn't come up with this on your own." He watched and I gave him a grateful smile before picking up my shattered confidence and putting it back together.

"No." I agreed before I cleared my throat. "You might think I'm bonkers from what I'm about to tell you, but I swear on my honor that it's a hundred percent true. So, promise me you'll believe me." I pleaded, angling my full body towards him in my seat. He frowned but nodded all the same.

"Pinky promise?" I asked, holding out my pinky expectantly. He gave me a slightly exasperated yet amused look before sighing and linking his pinky with mine.

"Pinky promise." He agreed. I smiled.

"Good. Okay...Where to start?" I asked myself.

"Alright, so...um, firstly, I think I should tell you that I'm not _exactly _from this world." I began hesitantly, avoiding his gaze. I didn't see his face, but I could tell it was not amused.

I hastened to correct my mistake.

"Sorry, sorry, that came out wrong. What I meant is that I'm from this _reality." _I chanced a look, and he was frowning deeply. Shit.

"Technically, I'm from the year 2014." I declared. I think if it were anyone else other than Edward, they would have either be slackjawed or laughing their ass off, but the only noticeable expression change was the deepening of his frown.

"2014?" He asked, probably making sure he heard right.

"Yes." I replied, making sure my voice was firm. He nodded.

"Continue." Was all he said.

"And well, nine years previous, their was a novel released by an author named Stephenie Mayer. On October 5th 2005 to be precise." I took a deep breath." It was called _Twilight." _I whispered and I couldn't look at him. I could positively feel his tenseness. Edward wasn't stupid, he was _extremely _intelligent, even more so than I, and I was pretty sure he had a general idea of what I was going to say.

My previously repaired confidence promptly shattered once more.

"And what was this novel about?" He asked, voice completely devoid of emotion. It made me cringe.

"I'm not going to waste your time and go into any unnecessary detail." I said bluntly, mentally preparing myself. I could do this. I was Arsinoë fucking Zeidan.

I was strong. I _wouldn't _be a coward dammit.

"It was about Vampires." I declared bluntly. "The Olympic Coven in particular, otherwise known as the Cullen Coven." I finished, voice hard and steady.

I stared at Edward, waiting for his reaction, his inevitable outburst of anger. Though I was disappointed, because he didn't react. He was positively still, a beautiful expressionless statue carved from marble. He didn't breathe, didn't even twitch. Even his foot was motionless on the accelerator. The only indication that he was alive (well technically) was the fact that I could literally hear the creaks and groans coming from the steering wheel, signaling he was clutching at it too hard - and barely refraining from snapping it all together.

"You knew." Was all he said. It was enough though. It conveyed all that he wanted to say, the numerous questions in his head, the bottled up emotion inside him.

It was a chilling experience.

"From the beginning." I answered brutally.

I wondered what was going on through his mind at the moment. What he was thinking about. There wasn't a trace of anything helpful on his expression. Was he mad at me? Did he hate me?

Suddenly, I felt my heart constrict painfully at the thought of him resenting me. Dear lord it felt like I was being stabbed multiple times. I couldn't bare the thought of him hating me, I didn't want him too.

"Edward?" I asked hesitantly.

"Why didn't you tell me dammit?!" He snapped suddenly, making me cringe away from him. At that one moment, as brief as it was, I had been honestly terrified. Even if he was Edward, he was still an angry Vampire.

He calmed a bit when he realized he had scared me but he was still fuming.

And then finally, what he asked clicked and I felt a surge of irritation run through me.

_Excuse me? _

_Why didn't I tell him?! _

Did he fully register what he just said?!

I glared angrily at him. I wasn't Bella, bitch. I would defend myself and fight!

"Why didn't I tell you?!" I repeated incredulously. I ignored his glare. "I'm sorry, did you just expect me to randomly walk up to a table full of Vampires and declare my knowledge of all your past's, present's _and _future's? Your gifts, your fates?" I demanded and he faltered a tad before resuming his glare.

"It would have been nice to know!" He replied just as hotly. "It would have saved me a whole lot of trouble." He snapped angrily.

I felt like I had been slapped.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked calmly. "Did you just say it would have saved _you _a lot of trouble? Pardon me, I must've misheard." I said icily.

He remained silent, probably too angry to reply with out shouting.

"Allow me to repeat my previous question." I said, my voice laced with ice. "Did you expect _me _to walk up to a table full of _Vampires _and just tell you everything?"

"You would have murdered me on the spot! Or at least after school when there were no witnesses!" I burst out. "Already you were on the verge of making me lunch the day I met you-" Edward flinched when I said this "-and after the whole van incident, Rosalie and Jasper were most probably plotting my death! Still are judging from the looks she sends me! Up until now, I wasn't even sure if I was going to tell you! I'm not a suicidal idiot Edward. I have a brain." I snapped angrily.

Honestly, who did he think I was? Jessica?

Edward remained silent and I huffed angrily, crossing my arms in annoyance and looking out the window.

A few moments later I heard Edward sigh from beside me before he spoke.

"So then, what's your opinion on us now?" He asked warily, "When you know full well how dangerous we are -how literally every second you spend with me could mean the end of your life."

I turned back to look at him, still slightly annoyed and I wished that I could hit him upside the head and knock some sense into him.

He could be so dense.

"Idiot." I snapped, "do you think that if I was even remotely scared I would be sitting in this car? Dude_ please_, ain't nobody got time for that shit. You could sure as hell bet that I would be halfway across the world by now if I was worried. Honestly Edward, _it doesn't matter to me_." I told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it should have been actually. He was just too retarded to see it.

"_It doesn't matter?"_ He repeated incredulously, emotion slipping through his previously blank mask. His face was full of disbelief and some of the anger which I had been well aware would appear again.

"No." I said in a stern voice. "At first, I found it thrilling, exciting even to know that I was actually interacting with you in real life...And then I found out how much of a douchebag you actually were,-" I snorted "-and it made me realize that it didn't matter what you were, I learned to look past the whole mysterious, broody, douchebaggy Vampire facade and learned to appreciate the actual person behind it. I was never _ever _planning on telling anyone, and though I kept pushing you to tell me the truth, I would've have waited until you were ready to tell me everything. I really don't care what you are, I just wanted to be helpful enough that maybe you could have an actual _friend_, someone other than your family who know's your secret." I explained calmly.

Okay, maybe more than a _friend._

A hard mocking tone entered his voice. "You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not _human?" _

"Edward, you're being retarded, again." I said bluntly. "_You are not a monster. _You are probably one of the kindest people I've ever met. I've met many humans who are ten times the monster you'll ever be, and heard of some who are even worse. So really, no, I do not care." I finished, trying to drive my point into his brain.

He was silent, staring straight ahead with his eyes narrowed and face grave.

I sighed finally. "Are you angry with me?" I asked, a bit hesitant to know the answer. "I knew I shouldn't have told you the whole truth." I mumbled more to myself than him.

He was probably thinking about the mental facility right now, about how crazy I was and how he could find me the best help. Of course though, he would plan on visiting me as much as he could and stuff...I agreed, I probably was mental.

"No," he sighed. "I'd rather know what you're thinking, even if it is completely insane." He told me and I held back a grin.

"So I'm crazy now?" I asked, trying and failing to hide my amusement.

"That's not what I'm referring to! "It doesn't matter!" You say!" He repeated, frowning in disbelief.

"So I'm not crazy?" I asked, holding back a chuckle when he glared at me.

"Does it really matter?" He hissed and I raised a brow.

"Hey now, the state of my sanity is a very serious matter Edward, not something to be taken lightly." I retorted, an amused smirk on my face.

"No, you're right, your state of mind is debatable." He said wearily and I chuckled.

"Ain't that the truth." And then another idea popped into my head, and my grin turned mischievous.

"I have a question." I told him. He gave me a blank stare.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Arsinoë." He told me and my grin widened.

"Good thing I'm human then, huh?" I asked playfully.

"What is it?" He asked, sighing in resignation.

"How old are you? Like, really?" I asked, hoping he would tell me.

"Seventeen." He replied, and the answer was well rehearsed, second nature.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

"How long have you been seventeen?"

"A while." A gave him an unamused look but he ignored me, and I decided to let the subject, drop...

For now...

"So am I still crazy?" I asked instead, grinning at him and he smirked.

"Its still debatable." he told me, then chuckled when I stuck out my tongue.

"Normal is overrated anyway." I said shrugging and he shook his head in disbelief. "Okay, I just have to know, do you guys really reflect light in daylight?" I asked curiously. I didn't want to say 'Sparkle', it would have been awkward.

He looked a bit surprised at the fact that I knew that, but he probably realized I got the knowledge from the book.

"Yes, that's why we can't go out in daylight. We would probably blind everyone during traffic." he said, and I was surprised at the joking tone in his voice. I smiled.

"Will you show me sometime?" I asked and he tensed.

"Maybe." he answered and I let it slide.

"And do you ever get tired? I've noticed that there are some very faint-hardly visibly- bags under your eyes." I knew he didn't sleep, but the book never clarified if they got tired or not.

"I don't sleep." He said, sounding somewhat bitter about it. It must have horrible really, not being able to sleep, sad even.

"I don't get tired either. The bags are there because I have no need to close my eyes nor rest them." he answered and I shook my head pityingly.

"Must suck not being able to sleep." I said shaking my head trying to imagine it. Gosh, I loved sleep. But then again, not sleeping sounded okay too, imagine all the things I could do...Such as finally make it to World 7 in Super Mario Bros..

"I haven't done it in such a long time that I don't know any better." He told me and I nodded understandingly.

Suddenly his gaze hardened and he frowned.

"You haven't asked me the most important question yet." He stated.

Oh, _that _one.

"Which is?" I acted oblivious.

"You aren't concerned about my diet?" He asked, sarcasm evident in his voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, that." I said casually, causing him to frown even more.

"Yes, that." his voice was bleak as he said this, "Don't you want to know if I drink blood?" he asked and I shrugged.

"You see, I was actually planning to address the subject when my PETA shirt arrived." I told him seriously and he glared. I held in a laugh.

"Arsinoë, don't assume that just because we drink human blood means we are not dangerous." He said sternly and I shrugged.

"I didn't make any such assumption Edward." I answered honestly.

He sighed (we were both doing that a lot recently) before speaking. "We try," he started slowly. "We're usually very good with what we do. Sometimes we make mistakes. Me for example, allowing myself to be alone with you." He finished gravely.

I should have expected it, and really I did, but it still hurt when I heard him say it to me. I tried not to show it, but I was unsuccessful.

"A mistake?" I asked softly, clearing my throat slightly pretending a hoarse throat was the cause. He didn't buy it.

"A dangerous one." He murmured softly.

I remained silent then, and he didn't say anything either. I watched as the headlights twisted with the curves on the road. They moved quickly, and it was interesting to watch, like a video game or something. Time was passing quickly,and we were almost in Forks (no, not the cutlery). It was funny though, I suddenly felt freer, like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I suppose now things would be easier between us. It was nice to know that he knew the truth, I wouldn't have to watch I said now, nor ask fake questions anymore.

"Arsinoë?" I heard him ask suddenly and I turned to look at him curiously.

"Mhmm?" I asked.

"Are you alright?" He asked, concern evident in his voice. I looked at him in confusion. What was up with him?

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" I asked curiously and he frowned even more.

"Your heart is beating faster than normal and you can't stop moving. Also, your hands are shaking." He told me, and suddenly I realized that yes indeed, I had been running my fingers through my hair. I also realized, when I removed my hands, that they were shaking. I even had goosebumps up and down my arms.

Oh.

Suddenly I realized what was wrong.

How long had it been since I had listened to any music? Five, six hours? Damn. No wonder it had gotten this bad.

"I'm f-f-fine." I replied, trying to control myself. We were almost home, I could make it. No need to make it a big deal and put more stress than necessary on Edward. Though, now that I had been made aware, it was a bit harder to suppress, hence the stammers. If Edward hadn't pointed it out, I probably wouldn't have noticed any of the signs myself.

I hid my hands in his jacket so he wouldn't see them anymore.

Though I guess his Vampire senses detected something else that I could not, because he looked even more worried.

"Please tell me what's wrong." He pleaded anxiously, and I felt terribly guilty. He sounded so helpless and lost, and there was such concern in his eyes that I could only sigh.

"Really, I-I'm fine." Curse you voice! Who do you belong to, me or Hinata?

"Arsinoë, please." He pleaded once more and all I could do was sigh in resignation.

"Um, would y-you mind if I switch on the stereo? Just for a little whil-" but before I could finish my sentence realization dawned on his face and he had already pushed the red glowing Power button.

Much to my surprise, Viva la Vida by Coldplay started.

The song hadn't come out yet.

"H-how did you get this?" I asked him curiously.

"I copied most of your music onto some USBs and a few CDs." He replied and I looked at him in confusion. How did he manage that? I hadn't given him the cord which connected with the laptop.

"I used Bluetooth." He told me, answering my unasked question and looking slightly amused.

"O-Oh." Was all I said. I looked down at my hands, the shaking had subsided to small trembles here and there and the goosebumps had completely resided. That was good, at least in didn't escalate anymore than a few signs.

"You should have told me to put on the stereo earlier." He told me, looking annoyed. I knew he wasn't angry at me, just angry that he couldn't have done anything sooner.

"It wasn't a big d-deal. And if you didn't tell me I wouldn't have noticed. I could have dealt with it at home." I replied defensively.

"Your health is a very big deal to me Arsinoë." He snapped and I didn't reply. I felt guilty again.

I changed the subject to something more pleasant.

"So...Did you have fun with my phone?" I asked, curious as to what he had done with it. This brought an amused smirk to his face.

"It was interesting...You have a very..." He paused, searching for the right word. I waited expectantly. "Different taste in music." He finished, sounding a bit bemused at the end.

"Different g-good or different bad?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Some good, some bad..." He trailed off before giving me a look I couldn't decipher. It was a mix between amused and appalled. "What did the Fox Say? Really?" He asked in disbelief.

I burst out laughing. Oh my gosh! He had actually listened to it? I could just imagine the look on his face when it started playing.

"What did the Fox Say? Ding ding ding ding-" I started, still laughing but he cut me off with an unamused look. Clearly, he didn't want a rendition.

"That song is horrible. I don't understand how you could listen to such -such nonsense." He was genuinely horrified, which prompted me to laugh even harder.

"Oh _-gasp-_ gosh!" Was all I could manage before I started laughing again. Edward rolled his eyes exasperatedly and shook his head.

"Other than that, most were nice, bar quite a few of course." He told me, and I nodded, wiping a tear from my eyes and letting out a few more chuckles before calming down.

"That's nice to know. I have more if you're interested." I told him, and I noticed that my stutters had stopped. That was good.

"Are they anything like Gangnam Style?" He asked sounding amused, and I burst into more peals of laughter.

"Did you watch the video?" I asked him slyly.

"Yes, and it was completely stupid." He said bluntly and chuckled.

"Hey, don't diss it now, in a couple of years that song will be sweeping the world with its awesomeness." I warned him, wagging a knowing finger.

"I don't see anything 'awesome' about it." He replied.

"Pah, just wait, it'll it grow on you." I told him and he shook his head, positively horrified by the idea.

"I hope not."

"What else did you do?" I asked, still curiously. Surely he didn't only listen to the music.

"It's a very interesting phone." He told me, sounding genuine. "I went through some applications-" I cut him off.

"Apps Edward, no one actually says 'applications'." I told him frowning and he looked amused.

"Apps then-" I cut him off again.

"You saw my crazy conversations with Lucianna didn't you?" I asked knowingly. If he had browsed through my apps then he must've come across my What's App, and my conversation with Lucianna was the last one which was open.

He looked terribly amused.

"I wasn't planning on reading any of it but then I saw the picture of the cow." He explained, amused.

I laughed, remembering the conversation.

"Where exactly does she live?" He asked, for clarification and I understood why.

"In the suburbs of Dublin 16." I answered, which in turn made him frown.

"So why in the world was there a _cow _peering into her window at three o'clock in the morning?" He asked, sounding genuinely lost. I laughed even harder.

"Did you listen to the voice notes?" I asked. He nodded and frowned even more.

"She sounded genuinely afraid." He told me, even more confusion laced into his voice.

"I mean, I would be too, if there was_ a cow staring _at me through the window _at three in the morning." _I pointed out, emphasizing the words.

He laughed "How did it get there?" He asked still confused.

"It was actually on the local news that evening. It somehow escaped from the butchery." I explained to him before I started to giggle when I remembered exactly what happened that night.

"I see...The conversation stopped abruptly after she called you a _"fucking douche"." _He said, though he didn't sound as amused then as he did before. In fact, he sounded pretty angry. I chuckled. It sounded weird when he swore, unnatural.

"Oh, right, she called me then, proceeded to insult me then forced me to go over and shoo the cow away." I explained. He nodded, and I could tell he wanted to hear the rest of the story.

I noticed we were about five minutes away from forks now. The trees were getting thinner. Damn, it had take less than twenty minutes.

"So, I did, still in my leopard print Pj's and I drove on over to her place. Imagine my surprise when, I actually see a real live cow, with its face pushed against her window and her trying -and failing- to shoo it away." I said, he was still listening. "So I called her, got out the car and went around the back. I told her to exit through the back door so we could go back to my apartment." I said trying to suppress my laughter so I could actually tell the story.

"Do you live alone?" He asked, catching on. I nodded.

"Yeah, technically before this whole ordeal started I was just about to finish my first year of University." I explained. He looked slightly surprised, and I could practically see him file away that little tid bit of information for further investigation later.

"Well, anyway, I managed to smuggle her out and we made our way to the car quietly." I told him, before rolling my eyes at the next part.

"And then she sneezed." I said. I looked out and saw the "Welcome to Forks" sign and I realized that I would have to finish up my story quickly.

"Well, anyway, I don't know what it's problem was, though I think it was the fact that she was wearing her cow print onesie pajama's and white sneakers, with the hood up and everything, but the next thing we knew is that we're being chased down by an angry cow at three in the morning." I finished shrugging casually.

Edward's face was a mix of surprise, disbelief and mostly amusement.

"I don't think we had ever run so fast in our lives, not even the time we were being chased by a crowd of rabid teenage fangirls," he looked ready to ask about it but I cut him off "though that's a story for another time. So anyway, the cow ran after us for like ten minutes or something until we made it to the police station. I think we must've have given the night duty workers a heart attack when we literally flew through the doors with a homicidal looking cow behind us. I must say though, those bullet proof doors must work really well if they're able to withstand the force of a ramping cow." I said, offhandedly.

"Can you imagine that scenario though? Two girls dressed in animal print outfits bursting through the doors in the middle of the night, running away from a barn animal. " We were outside my house now, parked in the driveway I saw the lights were on inside. My aunt was home.

"What happened after that then?" He asked, sounding very curious.

"Well, they managed to get animal control on the scene, and restrained it. We on the other hand were taken into questioning so they could know why the hell we were dressed like animals and why we were being chased by a runaway. They thought we were hooligans cosplaying and trying to interact with it." I told him laughing, he joined in.

"After a while we got it cleared up and just our luck, some random dude goes to them and says he has a video of two girls being chased by a cow, and them needing help. I have a copy of it on my tablet and maybe one day I'll show it to you." I finished, shaking my head when I remembered it.

"And all this happened between three and four am?" He asked in disbelief and I chuckled.

"Mhmm..." I confirmed and he shook his head.

"I told you that you were a magnet for trouble." He said to me and I shrugged. "I'm surprised you made it through the weekend in one piece." Then he paused, remembering something.

"Well not totally unscathed." I frowned in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Your arms." He said and I pushed back his jacket sleeve to see what he was talking about.

"Oh right, I threw myself into a rose bush yesterday." I told him, I pretended that I didn't already know that he knew exactly what happened.

That sounded confusing.

He looked at me for an explanation.

"I was late and trying to avoid detention." Was all I said and he sighed before shaking he head.

"I suppose, being you, it could have been much worse -and that possibility tormented me the entire time I was away. It was a very long three days, and I drove Emmett mad the entire time." He said smiling ruefully at me.

"Ah right, you went hunting this weekend." I said nodding in understanding.

"How di-Nevermind." He said shaking his head before sighing. "I didn't want to leave, but it was necessary. It's a bit easier to be around you when I'm not thirsty." He explained.

"Why didn't you want to leave?" I asked innocently.

_Say it Edward, say it! _

"It makes me...anxious..to be away from you." His eyes were gentle, but intense. They made me turn into a pile of mush on the inside.

_Yeas! _

_"_Oh...Then what did you do yesterday?" I asked, inwardly smirking.

How would he answer that question, I wondered.

I watched as he looked away, before closing his eyes and sighing.

"I...I was watching you yesterday." I choked. Not from shock, but from the fact that he admitted it.

"So that's how you knew I would be in Port Angeles." I stated and he nodded before frowning.

"Can I ask you something?" He asked and I raised a brow.

"What is it?"

"What were you thinking about tonight? When you had him in a headlock. You didn't look scared, on the contrary, you looked like you were concentrating really hard on something." He told me. Oh.

"I was actually trying to figure out how I would counter if all three of them decided to attack at the same time." I answered ignoring his appalled look.

"You were going to fight them?" He asked, sounding horrified. "Didn't you think of running?"

"I wasn't going to fight if I had the choice, I was planning on leaving after I made it clear that I wasn't weak nor defenseless. Hence the reason I broke his arm and threatened him. Like I told you in the restaurant, if they had persevered with their intentions I would have paralyzed him." I explained reasonably.

"Why didn't you scream for help instead?" He asked in disbelief. I gave him a look of disgust.

"Scream? I don't scream Edward, never have, never will."

Psh, honestly.

He let out another sigh. "I was right then, I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive." He said smiling wryly.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked, unplugging my seatbelt. I knew I would, I just wanted to make sure anyway.

"Yes -I have a paper due too." He gave me his signature crooked smile which made my heart sprout wings. "I'll save you a seat at lunch." It was weird that after everything that promise still made me swoon. I didn't show it though.

Never show weakness.

"Alright then." I said, starting to take of his jacket but he stopped me.

"Keep it, you can wear it tomorrow." I raised a brow at him.

"I have like nine different jackets Edward." I pointed out but he grinned.

"Well now you'll have ten." He said and I rolled my eyes playfully before poking his hand.

"Why are you so charming?" I asked and he chuckled. I put my hand on the door handle but before I could open it, he stopped me.

"Arsinoë?" He asked, and I turned back to look at him. "Will you promise me something?"

"Depends on what it is..."I said warily and he sighed.

"Don't go into the woods alone."

I frowned, "That sucks, I wanted to go hiking in there. Why?" I asked. I watched as he too frowned and stared past me out the window, eyes narrowed.

"I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there, let's leave it at that." Oh right, the wolves and stuff. I had forgotten about that.

I smirked in amusement, "You just chill in the woods?"

"Goodnight Arsinoë." I laughed. "I'll see you in the morning." He said to me and I smiled before opening the door.

"Until morning then."

"Arsinoë?" I turned, ready to ask if he like my presence that much, only for the words to get caught in my throat when I saw how close he was. He was leaning towards me, his handsome face only inches from mine.

I think my heart stopped beating at that moment, because there was an uncomfortable feeling in my chest.

Dear Kami, what was this boy doing to me?

"Sleep well." He said. His breath blew onto my face, enveloping me in the delightful smell, the same one from his jacket except more intense. I blinked momentarily dazed before nodding and composing myself.

"See ya'." I said giving him one last smile and getting out. He waited until I had gotten to the front door before revving up the low engine and pulling out the driveway. I gave him a wave before heading inside.

"Noë, darling?" I heard my aunt call from the kitchen and I found her making herself a cup of tea.

"You're home late." She said, mixing it and I nodded.

"I went out with the girls for some shopping." I told her and she nodded.

"Did you buy anything?" She asked and I showed her the rubber bracelets on my wrist. She smiled.

"Ah."

"Yeah..." I said going to the fridge for something to drink. I ignored the numerous different fruit juices and headed straight for the carton of Mango and Peach Ceres box. I closed the fridge, got out one of the fancy black straws my aunt kept and stuck it in the box before hopping onto the marble counter. She shook her head but didn't say anything.

"Did you have fun?" She asked, and I paused midsip.

"Mhmm." I answered and she raised a brow.

"That's good. You said you were with the girls?" She asked for clarification and I frowned, confused at her inquisitive tone.

"Mhmm."

"So may I ask why you are wearing a boy's jacket? Not that it's not nice or anything, I was just wondering.." She asked knowingly and I choked, coughing a bit. Then I noticed that I was still wearing Edward's jacket, and I gave her a sheepish smile.

"I really was with the girls.." I said trying to explain.

"Aha..."

"And well, I went for a walk," _That's one way to put it "_And well, I ran into Edward." I told her. A sly grin creeped onto her pretty face and I braced myself for the impending interrogation.

"Oh really? And what did you guys do then?" She asked and I shrugged.

"He took me to dinner and drove me home." I answered truthfully.

"No wonder you look so dazed_." _She teased and I shrugged again.

"I guess...Hey, you know what, I think I'm going to head upstairs, I'm quite tired-"

"Yes, yes, I completely understand." She said nodding in false understanding. I ignored her amused look.

"..Yeah. Um, goodnight then." I said hoping of the counter.

"_Sweet dreams _Arsinoë..." She said and started laughing when I ignored her.

Just before I made it up the stairs the phone rang in the foyer and I went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Noë?" I heard a familiar voice ask much to my surprise.

"Jessica?" I asked in disbelief.

How the hell did she get this number?!

"Hey, I just wanted to know if you made it home safely." She said and I was touched by the concern in her voice. It was surprisingly genuine.

"Yeah, around five minutes ago." I answered taking a sip from the box of juice in my hand.

"Oh!" She squealed, and I cringed, pulling the phone away from my ear. "Tell me what happened!" She demanded and I sighed.

"Er, tomorrow maybe?" I asked, hoping she would agree.

"Oh, is your aunt there?" She asked. _No._

"Yes."

"Okay! Then I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!"

"Bye Jess." I replied halfheartedly before putting down the phone.

I walked upstairs casually, not in any real hurry to do anything. I was tired, I had woken up pretty early this morning and it had been a trying day. All I wanted to do was take a nice warm bath and crawl into clean egyptian cotton sheets. I mentally thanked Nina when I saw she had changed the bedding to a pretty midnight blue and black trimmed thick duvet, along with matching pillow cases and sheets. The heating was also on, and it made me realize how cold it actually was. I folded Edward's jacket carefully, putting it on the chair before heading into the bathroom.

I took a very long and pampering bath (I actually hadn't had a chance to use the big tub yet), using sweet smelling salts and all. It was relaxing, and I almost fell asleep inside the water. Luckily, I managed to stop myself and dragged myself out, toweling off with a big fluffy green towel and dressing in a fresh pair of shorts and a tank top and crawling into my extremely comfortable king sized bed.

But just before I could fall asleep, I realized something which made me smile goofyly.

I was positively, irrevocably in love with Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, and there was no take backs, do-overs, or restarts.

I was his now, and as weird as it might have been, I didn't mind one little bit.

_**The cow thing was totally unexpected, really, I don't know what came over me but I couldn't stop laughing the whole time I was imagining it. Call me weird, but eh. **_

_**WHAT'S THIS? THREE CHAPTERS IN LESS THAN A WEEK?! I'M ON A ROLL SUCKAS!**_

_**Lol, yeah, hope you all enjoyed it, what did you think of the obvious differences I implemented? It was hard but I managed. Arsinoë's secret has finally been revealed! Hmm...What will happen now? What did you think of Edward's reaction? Was it realistic, believable? **_

_**Yeah...the contest is still on by the way. I'll drop the hint again. **_

_**The answer is in the blood. **_

_**Yeah, keep that in mind. **_

_**Thank's to all those who reviewed, like I said last chapter, I've been updating on my phone and it's hard to reply to reviews via mobi. I'll do it as soon as my chord is fixed. **_

_**BUT! It doesn't mean you should all stop reviewing! I'm desperate for em I tell you, they keep me going. **_

_**Thanks, hope you liked it...**_

_**Blue ^.^**_

_**Review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning I woke up blearily, trying and failing to regain my bearings. I didn't even want to get up, the room was nice a warm and my bed was extra comfy, but I heaved myself up forcefully with the knowledge that it would be a good day. I slowly placed my feet on the warm tiles, before dragging myself to the bathroom and taking a nice long shower. I even washed my hair (only for my fingers to get stuck in the curls one point) thoroughly and blow dried it, watching in bemusement as it didn't even bother straighten out, just once more became a thick and curly bush that fell to the middle of my shoulder blades.

Lucianna had once said that it was even messier and thicker (not to mention curlier) than Lorde's hair. And that's saying something, seeing as that girl had like _tons _of hair. I left it loose though, I wasn't in the mood to snap another hair tie trying to tame it. Even when I combed straight through it didn't even bother to at neaten somewhat. I sighed and put down the comb in defeat.

I took a good long look at myself in the mirror, noting how my caramel eyes looked lighter than usual. I supposed it was because I felt lighter than usual. It was nice to know that there were no longer any secrets between Edward and I. It felt nice.

I finished up in the bathroom quickly, before making my way into the still heated up bedroom. I pushed aside the beige curtains on the balcony and looked outside, trying to determine the temperature. Though, judging from the sky, it would seem that the sun wouldn't be coming out again anytime soon. The clouds were dark, dreary and grey, and it seemed like it was making up ten fold for all the time it had lost.

In other words, it looked cold as fuck.

I dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans with zips instead of pockets in the front, a long sleeved light grey boyfriend shirt with a long-sleeved top underneath(for extra warmth) and a pair of non-heeled leather ankle boots with buckles on the sides.

And after much contemplation, I also mentally said "Fuck it" and put on Edwards brown jacket too.

Yosh! I was finally presentable.

I made my way downstairs languidly, taking my time and I noted that the house was empty. It meant that Nina and Aunty Zehira had already left.

Eh, doesn't matter.

"What to eat...What to eat...What to eat?" I asked myself, opening the fridge, and peering inside. Surprisingly, I wasn't in the mood for Coco Pops, and I was way too lazy to chop up fruits, nor did I want any bread either...

And then I saw it.

There on the second row of out ginormous fridge, in all its wonder, was a jar of Black Cat Smooth Peanut Butter, and judging from the wrapping, it was unopened.

The gift from the Gods themselves I say.

I grabbed it quickly, fought World War three with the lid for a while and finally grabbed a teaspoon and began eager stuffing my mouth with the rich peanuty goodness.

"Mmm..." I said savoring the taste. It had been so _long _since I had any. Months! How I survived, I did not know, because back home I finish one whole jar in just a couple of hours.

In my peanuty ecstasy, I lazily dunked the teaspoon back inside for more, when I caught sight of the clock above the door.

"Wofy Shmit I'f wate!" I exclaimed, the peanut butter sticking my jaw together and preventing proper speech. I hastily closed the door to the fridge, ran to the living room where I had dropped my backpack the previous day and ran out the door, peanut butter jaw and teaspoon still in my hand.

Hey, I could enjoy my breakfast in the car.

It was unusually foggy today (I was literally squinting in order to see), not to mention _extremely _cold and I was actually halfway down the driveway before I realized that one; I had passed my car, and two; there was a silver Volvo parked next to it.

I stopped mid step and backtracked a couple of feet, slightly embarrassed that I had completely missed them, but mostly confused as to why he was here. Realization dawned on me a few moments later though. Today was the Edward would pick Bella up. Or in this case, _me _up. I had completely forgotten.

I didn't see him move, nor hear any sound signaling it but suddenly he was just there, standing in front of me and holding the passenger door open for me with an amused smirk on his face. Probably because I had walked straight past his car without stopping.

"Would you like to ride with me today?" He asked, but he sounded uncertain, as if he was unsure I would accept.

I on the other was dying from peals of laughter on the inside.

_Gosh Arsinoë, stop being such a perv._

_"_Would I be allowed to eat in the car?" I asked, holding up the jar a Peanut Butter with the teaspoon in my left hand.

"I trust you." He answered and I smiled before getting in the car. I wondered if he knew how much those words meant to me. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the engine purring and held in a gasp. All of a sudden he was sitting next to me, door closed and we were already pulling out the driveway!

Damn! He was so fast!

"I told you that you would need the jacket." He said. His voice was still hard cautious and I frowned. I noticed that he wasn't a jacket, instead a full length grey V-neck sweater and black pants and black buckled shoes. The outfit suited him perfectly, and made him look absolutely delicious. It was with great effort that I pried my eyes away from his body to look at his equally gorgeous face.

And then I realized we were matching and I held in a grin.

"No, I didn't _need _it, but was too lazy to look for another and I look good in it, big as it may be." I corrected him, smirking before eating some peanut butter.

"That you do." He agreed (insert heart leap here) before frowning and giving the jar in my hands a vaguely disgusted look.

"What are you eating?" He asked, sounding disgusted.

"Peanut butter." I stated once I had swallowed the mouthful in my mouth. He looked incredulous.

"From the jar?" He asked in disbelief and I nodded.

"Mhmmf." I answered, teaspoon in my mouth. Edward looked a tad disgusted before shaking his head and dropping the subject.

"I told Carlisle about you." He said and I inwardly cringed. Damn.

"Waf dit he smay?" I asked, trying with difficulty to unhinge my jaw. Edward looked amused.

"He want's to talk you soon." Again, I cringed inwardly.

"When exactly?" I asked uncertainly. He looked a bit confused at my tone but didn't comment on it.

"Would Sunday be alright?" He asked, and I for the third time I cringed, except this time openly.

_Nope...Definitely not alright._

I coughed and let out a few awkward chuckles. Edward gave me a confused but wary look.

"Er...Sorry, no can do. Haha.." I laughed nervously and avoided his gaze. I noticed that we were almost at school. It had taken us less than five minutes.

"Are you busy on Sunday?" He asked curiously and I let out a couple of more nervous chuckles, before heaping a mountain of peanut butter onto the teaspoon and shoving it into my mouth. That would at least buy me five minutes, it was pretty hard to swallow the rich and sticky goodness.

"Arsinoë?" He asked expectantly, pulling into the school and I motioned to my mouth and shrugged.

He gave me a slightly annoyed look before pulling into the parking spaces (because he normally used three and all) next to a _very nice _red BMW convertible.

Damn Rose, I wanna take that for a ride sometime!

"Rosalie's got a really nice car." I said nonchalantly closing the lid on the jar and stuffing it into my backpack and getting out the car. Edward gave me a pointed look and met behind the car, staying close to my side as we walked onto campus. I resisted the urge to smirk triumphantly.

Mission accomplished bitches!

"You haven't answered my question." He said to me.

"Was there a question? Sorry, I forgot." I answered innocently. This was the conversation I was dreading, and he just wouldn't let it go.

"Arsinoë..."He drawled, patience thinning and I coughed slightly.

"Oh look! There's Jessica!" I exclaimed loudly, waving obnoxiously to the blond who was waiting under the cafeteria roof's overhang. She caught sight of me and rushed forward, clutching onto my arm and looking straight at my annoyed companion. For the first time in my life, I was actually glad to see her.

"Good Morning Jessica." Edward said politely. It really wasn't his fault that his voice was so irrisitable, even when annoyed or that his eyes were so capturing, so I wasn't mad nor judgmental when the girl on my arm ogled.

"Uh...Hey." She stammered before moving her wide eyes to me, trying to compose herself.

"Sorry, I'm a bit late cause I didn't hand in my homework. I have to get to class." _No! Don't leave me! _

"Oh...Then you should probably get going." I told her, though I really didn't want her to leave me with Inspector Cullen, there wasn't much I could say without drawing suspicion to myself. She let go of my arm reluctantly, enabling circulation once more.

"Yeah...I'll guess I'll see you in Spanish, Noë." She said, giving me a meaningful look. Spanish was one of the only two junior level classes I was forced to take, because I didn't speak it and they wouldn't let me off the hook even if I spoke five others.

"Kay..." She walked away, pausing once to glance over her shoulder. She wasn't the only one, there were many other's who couldn't stop staring at Edward and I. I think I made it worse by wearing his jacket too...

Oh well, all the better. He's MINE ladies!

"What are you going to tell her?" Edward asked curiously, and I mentally sighed in relief that he hadn't pursued the subject. Though I had no doubt he hadn't forgotten about it.

"That you kidnapped me then proceeded to brutally force feed me." I answered shrugging my shoulders.

He smiled in amusement. "The worst part is that she would believe it." He told me and I laughed.

"What does she want to know?" I asked.

He shook his head, an mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"That's not fair." I pouted slightly.

"No, you still having not answered my question is what's not far." He retorted, and I pouted even more.

He chuckled as we walked to my first class, ignoring the stairs.

"She wants to know if we are secretly dating and how you feel about me." He relented finally.

"Hmm..."I mused thoughtfully, before looking at him with a raised brow. "What should I say then?" I asked casually. Edward stopped when we arrived at the door and turned towards me, humming thoughtfully to himself. He caught a rebellious curl that had fallen into my face and twisted it behind my ear. I had to consciously remind myself to breathe, though it wasn't working too well..

"I suppose you could yes to the first -if you don't mind of course. It's easier than any other explanation."

"I should lie then?" I asked, raising a brow.

"I don't think with the amount of time I intend to spend with you that it could be considered a lie." He hummed sounding thoughtful.

_Arsinoë, I think you've just died and gone to heaven..._

_"_I see." Was all I could manage, though I was surprised I could manage anything at all.

"And as for her other question...Well, I'll be listening to hear your answer myself." One side of his mouth pulled up into my favorite crooked smile.

"Can't anything be private?" I asked smirking in amusement with a hand on my hip.

"You still haven't told me if you are busy on Sunday." He said, not replying to my own question. Before I could reply though, he turned and walked away.

"I'll see you at lunch." He called over his shoulder, smirking and disappearing into the morning crowd, people everywhere watching in awe.

Arrogant douchebag.

I hurried into class, ignoring the hateful glares of the other seniors and taking my seat at the back by the window, thinking back to how I would break the news of my traveling plans at lunch, and how exactly I would manage to ask him to come.

Would he say yes? No? In saying yes, he would be officially agreeing to meeting my father, and the rest of my family. In the books, he had been eager to meet Bella's father, and I had little doubt that he wouldn't be the same with mine but still...It was big step. What would Pa say? Pa who never approved of boys coming anywhere his 'precious little baby girl'. Honestly, my father scared off all my potential boyfriends (not that they were many, four at most). Ma would be ecstatic, and she's probably take an immediate liking to Edward no problem. Then proceed to brag about him to all the ladies at the country club.

Actually, where the hell were my parents? Just before I had arrived, my father had just been appointed Ambassador in Rio. Were they still there? I doubted it. I tried to dig through my memory to remember where he had been stationed in 2005. Hadn't he just renewed his term in China at this point? I think so...I couldn't remember properly. I was still pretty young but I was sure it was China.

Anyway, the rest of the family would probably just like him because he was rich (possibly richer than some of them), and like Aunty said, the Cullen name was pretty famous in the business empire.

And then I thought of Anat, and how jealous she would be. I felt sorry for her fiance, whoever he may have been, she would probably try constantly to brag about all his achievements, including his title.

The teacher called us to attention the, claiming the homework which had been due for the day. I didn't have any to give him, I had handed it over a month ago, I ignored the hated glares everyone shot me when he announced this after he had found out that almost hadn't done it. History passed in a blur, while I was nervous about how I would break the news to Edward. I wasn't even paying attention, and History was one of my favorite classes.

By the end of the second period, the ominous fog had cleared up, but the clouds were even darker, making it more like night than day. I even saw quite a bit of lightening and heard the earth rumble from the loud thunder. The wind was blowing wildly and trees were swinging in the strong breeze. I smiled brightly at the sky as I walked to Spanish.

It was such a nice day.

Like expected, in third period, Jessica was sitting in the back row and literally bouncing off her seat when I arrived in class. I reluctantly went to sit next to her, wondering the whole time why I was doing it anyway. I wasn't forced to tell her anything.

Oh well, too late now...

"Tell me everything!" She demanded before I had even settled in my seat. I rolled my eyes.

"Damn Jess, calm your tits." I told her, whilst taking my books out my bag and giving the jar at the bottom a longing look. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened last night?"

"We went out for dinner." I answered honestly. No use drawing it out. I deciphered her look immediately and interrupted before she could say anything. "Yes, he bought." She squealed a bit before composing herself.

"Then he drove me home. End of story." I shrugged.

"How did you get home so fast?" She asked suspiciously.

"He drives faster than Schumacher." I told her, though she looked confused as to who that was. I had no doubt that Edward knew who he was, and I hoped he laughed in class, so that people thought he was a lunatic.

"Was it like a date? Did you tell him to meet you there?" She asked curiously.

"No," I answered. "He kidnapped me you see." I told her seriously. Much to my surprise, she seemed to believe me and I giggled before shaking my head at her.

"I'm joking Jessica. No, I didn't expect to see him there." Her lips pouted a bit, probably disappointed that I wasn't giving her any detail.

"But he picked you up for school today?" She asked for clarification.

"Mhmm. I walked straight passed his car because of the fog." I laughed a bit at that.

"So, are you going out again?" She asked, blue eyes eager for more.

"I dunno. He offered to accompany me Seattle on Saturday because he's trying to prevent the wasting of finite natural resources. Does that count?" I asked, and it took her a moment to register what I said before she nodded frantically.

"Yes." She said, looking like a hyper squirrel.

"Well that's certainly not the type of date I'm used to." I replied with a raised eyebrow.

"No one is used to date's with Edward Cullen!" She exclaimed, though quieted down when she saw all the looks we were getting. "You're so lucky!" She said to me and I shrugged.

"Wait!" She exclaimed again, and this time more people turned to stare. I gave her a berating look and she smiled sheepishly before we moved our heads closer to each other so we wouldn't be heard.

"Has he _kissed _you yet?" She asked seriously and I snorted.

"No." I answered. She looked disappointed and I was too.

"Do you think Saturday...?" She trailed off, wiggling her brows suggestive.

"I dunno." Was my answer.

"What did you talk about?" She asked pressing for more. Class had started now, but the teacher didn't pay us any attention and we weren't the only ones talking. I didn't particularly mind if people heard, but I would've preferred it the didn't.

"World domination." I answered and I laughed at her unamused look. I giggled a little.

"Okay okay, we talked about a lot of different stuff I guess, nothing in particular really. Our families, us...stuff like that." I told her.

"Come _on _Noë! Give me the details!" She pleaded, sounding like a man in the desert who hadn't had water in days.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"It was a really chill affair Jess, though I did find the waitress' death glares in my direction particularly amusing. Even more so when she tried to flirt with the poor dude and was completely shot down." I said laughing a bit when I remembered the looks she gave me.

"That's a good sign." Jessica encouraged nodding. "Was she pretty?" She asked and I paused.

"You know, she actually was really pretty, had a terrible voice but still really pretty. Her make up was done really nicely too. She seemed around nineteen, maybe twenty." I said truthfully. The waitress (annoying as she was) definitely was not lacking in the looks department.

"Even better." She almost squealed in her eagerness. "He must like you." She told me sagely.

"I suppose. You never know with him." I replied nonchalantly. She looked at me with wide eyes and I raised a brow.

"I don't know how you're brave enough to be alone with him." She breathed and I frowned in confusion.

"Why?" I asked, slightly amused.

"He's so...intimidating. I wouldn't know what to say to him." She swooned, probably remember the previous day and this morning.

I laughed softly a bit. "Really?" I asked in surprise. I had never really had much of a problem speaking to him. I was always (okay, mostly) able to be really cool and chill around him. "I suppose he does have his moments which make me tongue tied..." I mused, like earlier today.

"Oh, well, he is unbelievably _gorgeous." _She said shrugging, and the way she said it indicated that she didn't care about much more than his looks. I frowned.

"I won't deny it," I agreed before continuing, "Though I've kinda gotten used to it. I don't really pay much attention to his looks anymore. Of course I have my moments, I'm a girl after all but really, there's so much more to him than that. He's a really nice guy under his appearance."

"Really?" She asked, eager for more, "What do you mean?"

"Well he's got he douchey moments too-" _Ha! Suck on that Eddie "-_but when you look past that, he's quite interesting. Kind and stuff. It's hard to explain." She snorted in disbelief.

"He's a _guy _Noë; is that even possible?"

I laughed, agreeing. "I understand what you mean. The general male populace are a bunch of idiots, but believe me when I say that he's really different."

Like_, really _different.

"So, you like him then?" She asked and I nodded.

"Mhmm."

"I mean, do you _really _like him?" She urged and I grinned.

"Mhmm." I answered again, ignoring the smirk on her face.

"How _much _do you like him?" She asked slyly.

"A lot, -Probably way more than he likes me anyway." I replied nonchalantly and it was true. I had been in love with the guy for _years. _Or at least as 'in love' you could get with a fictional character as possible.

Sigh...if only he knew.

The teacher called on Jessica to answer a question so our conversation was momentarily interrupted. I took the opportunity to think of a subject change.

"Have you spoken to Mike yet this morning?" I asked, leaning back in my chair and playing with the sleeves of Edward's (mine now) jacket. She shook her head dejectedly.

"No, but I was planning on sitting next to him at lunch." She said and I nodded sympathetically.

"Don't worry about it. He really likes you." I assured her and she nodded, hope shining in her eyes.

We spent the rest of Spanish going over potential strategies for her to win -and keep- Mikes attention. It was better to keep our focus on her own personal stuff, rather than my own, and I made sure the topic stayed on her the whole of the two periods. Lunch came far too slowly (one can only listen to the teacher draw on about how to conjugate verbs properly for so long) and Jessica gave me a knowing look.

"You're not sitting with us today, are you?" She asked grinning and I shrugged.

"Maybe, maybe not." Was my cryptic reply and she gave me a look stating that she clearly didn't believe me. We made our way outside the Spanish classroom, and there leaning against the wall (looking all Swag and shit) was Edward waiting patiently, arms crossed. Jessica squealed in my ear though I think she thought he wouldn't hear and walked away quickly.

"See ya Noë!" She called out though her voice was very suggestive. I rolled my eyes and turned to look at back at Edward with a raised brow, awfully suspicious at his casual demeanor.

"Hello. He said, though he sounded both amused and irritated for some reason.

Oh right, he was probably thinking about what I had said to Jessica.

"Hey..." I answered, giving a wary look. He didn't speak, instead biding his time quietly. It didn't bother me, I wasn't bothered by the silence.

When we walked into the cafeteria, people turned to stare, but we ignored them and headed straight for the lunch line. Much to my surprise (and secret amusement) we didn't have to wait in it. Edward completely brushed passed everyone and headed straight to the front. The worst part was (or best) was that people didn't complain, they were completely willing to step aside and let him go first, and they did it with such reverent and awe filled faces that I couldn't help but let out a small laugh of disbelief.

_Ha, 'fit in' my ass! _

I watched in silence as he quickly piled the tray with food, most of which was filled with my favorites. I frowned.

"How did you-" but then I stopped, realizing that he had probably memorized the foods I ate the most.

Yep, I saw Jalapeños there too.

He deserved a gold medal for being a grade A+ stalker, really, the amount of effort he payed it deserved rewarding.

"Are you that hungry?" I asked playfully, ignoring his eye roll.

"Half of it is for you of course." He said and I giggled a bit. He didn't say anything else, just led me to the same table we had sat at on Thursday (he probably had it reserved, nobody had sat there since). On the table to our left, a group of Sophomores watched in awe and amazement as Edward gracefully strode past, but he seemed oblivious.

So he really _was _clueless about it all...

"Take whatever you want." He instructed, pushing the tray towards me. I immediately grabbed the lovely looking Tuna Mayo sandwich in the middle of the tray. He seemed amused.

I also picked up the knife and cut the Pepper into small pieces, before adding it to the sandwich.

Chili always made everything better.

"I'm curious, is there any particular human food which taste's good to you?" I asked before taking a bit out of my sandwich. Twas Delish.

"Ice cream tastes surprisingly good to us. We've got a whole freezer full of every flavor imaginable at home." He said, and my eyes widened in surprise.

Vampires can eat _Ice Cream?! _

"Really?" I asked in disbelief and he chuckled at my expression.

"We had to at least try and find something we could eat that wouldn't be completely revolting in order to blend in. We went through quite a lot of different things, but Ice Cream was the only thing which tasted appealing." He explained and I nodded in understanding.

"Psh, _everyone _loves Ice Cream." I told him nodding sagely and he laughed. "Do you have a favorite flavor? Mine is Cookies and Cream." He seemed surprised at this, then amused again.

"That also happens to be my favorite flavor." He told me and I grinned. He then looked behind me and chuckled a bit.

"Jessica is analyzing everything I do. She plans to lay it down for you later." He told me, pushing the Cranberry juice towards me next. I nodded thankfully. He really was good at his job. Lol.

"So the waitress was pretty, was she?" He began casually and I snorted.

"She actually was. I'm sure you noticed." I told him, pointing an accusing finger.

"I _didn't _actually." He shrugged. "I was paying attention to more important things." He said, his eyes intense, turning me into a puddle of womanly goo on the inside. I took another bite of my sandwich to occupy myself and stop me from humiliating myself or something. He seemed to be contemplating something and I watched in silence until he was ready.

"Something you said to Jessica...Well, it bothers me." Oh, here goes.

"Oh, sorry, did I hurt your feeling when I called you a douche?" I asked innocently and he rolled his topaz eyes.

"Har har." He said, sarcasm palpable. "I warned you I would be listening." He reminded me and I huffed.

"Well you heard, and now you know how weird my mind is, Schumacher." I said teasingly, and he smiled a bit, "You should be glad that you don't know what I think about. I'd probably get punched in the face a lot if people could read my mind." I said to him, completely honest. There was a reason people said _"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." _

It was a small part of the reason as to why I didn't interact with other people more than necessary.

"I don't agree with the first part." He told me frowning. "You may say that, but you aren't precisely correct. I _do _want to know what you are thinking. Everything. Every minute, every second -no matter how bad." He then paused and frowned even more. "I just wished you wouldn't be thinking certain things."

I raised a brow. "You're very hard to please."

"Though that is not the point at the moment." He said, shaking his head as if emerging from some kind of trance.

"So then what is?" I asked, slightly impatient, finishing the bottle in my hand, and reaching for the second on the tray.

Honestly, I had no self control.

He leaned forward, closer to me, hands under his chin and eyebrows furrowed pensively. I too leaned forward, interested in what he had to say. I knew what it would be, I just wanted to hear it extra clearly.

"Do you truly believe that you care more for me than I you?" He murmured, leaning even closer, eyes darker and more piercing.

I blinked a bit, forcing myself out of my daze before leaning back and frowning.

"Yes. That is what I truly believe." I answered firmly, not breaking eye contact. He was silent for a while, holding me in his firm gaze and I didn't waver. He sighed and I raised a brow.

"You're wrong." He said, eyes turning gentle.

Who was he? Jasper?

"You couldn't possibly know." I told him firmly, eyebrows creasing. Honestly, for all he could know I could be feeling an indescribable amount of hate (though that would never happen) for him right at this moment.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, eyes still searching. He was trying to read my mind.

"Because there have been quite a few times that you were actually saying 'goodbye' when you said something else to me." I explained, glaring pointedly at him.

"Perceptive." Edward whispered more to himself than to me. There was pain emerging once more, which affirmed my previous statement. "But that is why you are wrong."

"Oh?"

"What you previously stated is what proves me right. I care the most because I _can _do it." Thought his eyes said otherwise. "If leaving you is the right thing to do, then I'll hurt myself by not hurting you in order to keep you safe." Suddenly his mood shifted and he was smirking at me, eyes playful.

I remembered my theory about him being Bipolar.

"Of course, keeping you safe is beginning to feel like a full-time occupation that requires my constant presence." I smirked along with him.

"If you want I could draw up a contract which includes sick days, leave and a salary if you want?" I asked and he chuckled before suddenly he turned serious.

Yep, Bipolar.

"You still haven't answered my question from earlier. Why won't you tell me what you're doing on Sunday?" He asked, and I saw on his face that he was tired of chasing me around in circles and wanted the answer. Now.

I sighed.

"I can't speak to Carlisle on Sunday because I'm leaving that day." I answered and he seemed to freeze on the spot and I thought I saw something akin to dread fill he eyes, which were suddenly darker.

"What?" He asked, voice hard, yet underneath I heard a trace of such deep anguish that it tugged at my heartstrings.

"Mhmm. I'm going to Thailand." I explained taking another sip of my juice. He didn't reply.

"My cousin's getting married and I'll be gone for a week or so." He seemed relieved, but not by much.

"I see." He murmured, brows creased together thoughtfully.

He was probably planning on stalking me all the way to Asia or something.

Ah Edward, you stalker.

I smirked and raised a brow, suddenly feeling more comfortable about asking.

"Would you like to come?" I asked nonchalantly. I held in my grin when he looked up immediately.

"Am I allowed?" he asked, sounding hesitant, yet eager at the same time. I wondered how that was possible.

"If you want to, which I'm sure you do. You'd probably find away to follow me all the way across the world either way. Plus I needed a date anyway." I said smirking and taking another sip of my drink, watching in amusement as I caught just a trace of sheepishness on his face before it was completely wiped off and replaced with amusement.

"Well then I'm afraid I'll have to take you up on that offer. Who knows what could happen to you in a completely unknown country?" he teased and I frowned.

"Yes, very funny Edward." I drawled and he laughed. "I just have to warn you that if you come, you'd be meeting my family." I said to him and he shrugged.

"I would have met them eventually." He said it so casually, as if he already knew that he would be sticking around. It brought a smile to my face. "I'm sure they're not as bad as mine." He told me smirking and I shook my head.

"Not at all." I agreed, "they're ten times worse." I told him, shaking my head.

"What could possibly be worse than Vampires Arsinoë?" He asked rhetorically and I gave him a sympathetic smile.

"My family." I answered promptly. He shook his head and didn't press the subject.

"I'll phone you later tonight with the flight details." I said to him and he nodded.

"Alright, now I have a question for you." He told me smirking.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Do you really need to go to Seattle this Saturday or was that just an excuse to get out of saying no to all your admirers?" He asked.

Oh right! The meadow! I was suddenly brimming with hidden excitement.

"Actually, I did have to go. But my plans were canceled because my Aunt has to leave early." I told him shrugging.

"Would you mind if I did something different then?" He asked and I shrugged again.

"I'm up for anything really. Though on one condition." I told him, holding my index finger in the air. He chuckled.

"You always seem to have conditions." He told me.

"Can I drive?" I asked.

"Why?" He frowned.

"Because if we're going to have _any _sort of relationship, then you're going to have to let me do things for myself occasionally, driving being one of them." I told him seriously. I understood his chivalrous tendencies, I really, he was born and raised in a time where it was still dutifully practiced but I liked being independent, and being able to do things for myself.

He frowned a bit before giving his consent and I nodded thankfully.

"Good. Where will we be going anyway?" I asked, acting curious.

"The weather will be nice, so I'll be staying out of the public eye. And _you _can stay with me, if you'd like." He added, leaving the choice up to me.

Yay!

_"_Hmm..." I said in a thoughtful tone, but I was playful. He smiled in amusement.

"Sure, since you asked so nicely." I said finally and he laughed.

"Then it's settled." He said before suddenly standing up and throwing the things in the bins a couple of feet away.

"But we'll discuss more about it later. We'll be late if we linger any longer." he told me, and I noticed that there were about five minutes until bio. Hmm...time really did fly when you were having fun.

"Later then," I agreed getting up a clasping his outstretched hand (I was beyond excited on the inside) and we made our way quickly to the science building.

I still couldn't believe that I was holding Edward Cullen's hand, and _he_ was the one initiating contact.

Ha! Suck on _that _Bella!

_**Not much to say 'cept that it's four and I'm dead tired. **_

_**Thanx to all those who reviewed, don't hesitate to leave more. **_

_**Edward's going to Thailand with Noë? What do you guys think?**_

_**Competition's still on by the way. **_

_**Love (and yawns)**_

_**Blue -_-**_


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